The decomposed body of a 55-year-old man was discovered inside a vehicle parked outside the annex gate of the National Assembly complex in Abuja, officials and local media reported on Monday. The discovery has prompted an immediate police probe and raised questions about security and surveillance around the legislative precinct.
According to multiple reports, the deceased has been identified as Gaddafi Iwar, a Tiv man believed to have worked as a labourer on a construction site within the National Assembly grounds. The corpse was found on Sunday morning inside a red Peugeot 406 with registration number BWR-577 BF.
The FCT Police Command said officers responded after security personnel noticed the vehicle and alerted the National Assembly Division. The body was evacuated to the National Assembly clinic and later taken to Asokoro General Hospital, where medical staff confirmed the individual was already in an advanced state of decomposition. The hospital reportedly declined further reception because of the condition of the remains.
Authorities say the Commissioner of Police has ordered a discreet investigation to determine the circumstances of the man’s death, including efforts to establish how long the vehicle had been parked at the site and why the situation went unnoticed for days. Forensic and medical examinations are expected to form part of the inquiry.
Security analysts and community leaders have expressed concern about apparent lapses in monitoring around the complex and called for improved checks on vehicles and persons working on site. Local Tiv community representatives later collected the body for burial in Gbawu village, on the boundary between Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) and Kuje Area Council, reportedly to prevent a public-health risk.
The FCT Police Command said it will release further updates as its investigation progresses. Anyone with information that could assist police inquiries has been urged to come forward.
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