Chief Security Officer shot dead by 5 gunmen with his 23-year-old Son

Gunmen have killed the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of the Adokiye Amieseimeka Stadium, Richard Timothy and his 23-year-old son, identified simply as Silas at his residence in Igwuruta-ali close to Port Harcourt.

Timothy’s widow, Grace, said about five gunmen dressed in black attire attacked her husband as they drove into their residence.

Grace said her son, a new graduate of the University of Port Harcourt, waiting for the compulsory one year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) was also shot dead by the assailants.

Grace said: “Around 9pm on 31th January, we went to get some things. As we were coming and about entering the house, we called my son to open the gate.

“As he opened the gate we were about to enter, we saw people in black, fully armed entering with us in their car. They started shooting and immediately my husband opened the door, they shot him in the head, not once, not twice. They saw his son with him.

“I was able to escape but by the time I entered the house, I met my son who just graduated from UNIPORT ready to go for NYSC, his corpse on the floor. The police came and took his corpse and deposited at the morgue,”

The woman said the gunmen later took her into a nearby bush after shooting her husband and her son dead and requested she gave them money.

She said: “I was able to escape to the backyard. They came there, saw me and took me out of the compound towards the bush, like 50 meters from the house. At that time I knew there was no hope for me again.

“Then I tried to find out from them what the problem was and who sent them. They said they didn’t come for me but my husband. They now asked me to bring money. I told them I don’t have any money.

“Along the line they shot one of their members. So for them to be able to escape with the one with a gunshot, they left me and asked me to go back.”

She said her husband had hitherto received multiple threats from some individuals, who opposed his stance against the looting of properties at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium.

She said: “The DPO (Divisional Police Officer) took me to the House and tried to find out a few things from me and said they will get back to me.

“They have been threatening him. If they go to the Igwuruta Police Station, I think they will have many files of those that have been threatening him, those that have been stealing from that stadium.

“If they (police) go there at least they will know where and how the case will look like. That will even help them because he has been going there to register all these threats in the police station because he didn’t want them to empty the Stadium.

“I think on one or two occasions around June, July he arrested two people, one from the Stadium, the other from his yard. Nigerians should help me, I don’t want my husband to die in vain because he fought for the truth.”

The Spokesperson of the State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko confirmed the incident saying investigation to ensure those behind the killings are apprehended and brought to book.

Iringe-Koko, in a statement said the police “received a distress call from late Timothy’s daughter about the attack and immediately dispatched its men who raced down and recovered three expended AK-47 ammunition.”

She said Timothy and his son were rushed to the hospital but were confirmed dead by the doctor on duty, adding Commissioner of Police had deployed necessary intelligence to ensure the arrest of the fleeing suspects and make them face the law.

The statement said: “The Rivers State Police Command is aware of a tragic incident which occurred on 31st, January, 2025, at about 2340hrs in Rivers State, where one Timothy, ‘m’ a 59-year-old Chief Security Officer of Adokiye Amieseimeka International Stadium, Omagwa, Port Harcourt and his first son were brutally murdered by unknown gunmen.

“The Igwuruta Division of the Rivers State Police Command received a report from Omolara, Timothy’s daughter, stating that four unknown gunmen ambushed her father and son, shooting them severely on the head, resulting in their death.

“The police swiftly responded to the scene, recovering three expended AK-47 ammunition. The victims were rushed to the hospital, but unfortunately, they succumbed to their injuries and were confirmed dead by the Doctor on duty.

“The Commissioner of Police, Rivers State, has directed the deployment of all necessary intelligence to apprehend the fleeing suspects and bring them to justice.