(Adds details from police statement)

By Peter Murphy

ABIDJAN, Feb 7 (Reuters) - A French security expert working for the European Union mission in Ivory Coast was found shot dead at his home inside a closely guarded diplomatic compound in the economic capital Abidjan on Wednesday, police said.

Michel Niaucel, 54, was a former police commander who was in charge of regional staff security at the European Commission's delegation in the war-divided West African state, where he had lived for around four years.

The victim was killed by a single bullet fired from his own service pistol, police said, but they ruled out a robbery because there was no sign of forced entry into his villa. They said his wife, Karine, was helping them with their inquiries.

"It appears unlikely a stranger entered the (house) as none of the exits were visibly forced," deputy police director Desire Adjoussou said on state television news.

He said a team of French police forensic experts were due to arrive "in the coming hours" to assist with the investigation.

Niaucel's wife told police she was woken from her sleep by a conversation between her husband and an unknown individual in their bedroom before a deafening bang rang out, Adjoussou said.

However, he said it was unlikely an intruder gained entry to Niaucel's home, where he lived with his wife and 13-year-old daughter. He said Niaucel was killed around 2 a.m. (0200 GMT).

He said a pillow with a hole and traces of gun powder had been found in the bedroom and appeared to have been used to smother the blast. A 357-calibre Smith & Wesson revolver was found in a bathroom cabinet containing the empty casing of a fired bullet.

"DEEPLY SHOCKED"

A spokesman for the European Commission in Abidjan, Lucien Houedanou, said its offices in Abidjan were closed on Wednesday following the death, but the EU staff compound of villas and apartments located near the city centre had not been evacuated.

"Our colleagues are in shock," he added, describing Niaucel as a popular member of the EU mission.

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said Paris was in contact with Ivorian authorities.

"I hope that full light is shed on this horrible murder," Douste-Blazy said in a statement in Paris.

Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the EU's External Relations Commissioner, said in a statement she was "deeply shocked" by Niaucel's death.

Ivory Coast, the world's top cocoa grower, has been divided into a rebel-held north and government-run south since a brief 2002-2003 civil war.

United Nations and French peacekeeping troops protect a fragile ceasefire line separating the rival forces.

Armed robberies of the homes of expatriates and diplomats in Abidjan have become fairly common as poverty in the once prosperous former French colony has increased since the war.

France's embassy in Ivory Coast regularly advises its nationals there to be cautious and avoid crowds. (Additional reporting by Crispian Balmer in Paris)

AlertNet news is provided by