Again, Trial of Alleged Killers of Arise News Anchor Stalls

Alex Enumah in Abuja

The trial of eleven defendants linked to the death of ARISE News correspondent, Somtochukwu Maduagwu and a security guard, Barnabas Danlami, for the second time in one week failed to hold as scheduled.

While the failure of the trial on Monday February 9, was due to the absence of the defendants in court, Thursday’s failure was however, caused by the lead prosecution counsel, Adama Musa, who was engaged in another criminal case at a sister court in Apo, Abuja.

Following the development, Justice Mohammed adjourned till April 21, 22, and 23 for continuation of trial, expressing hope that the prosecution will close its case by then and that judgment could be delivered before year’s end.

All eleven defendants, including Shamsu Hassan and ten others, pleaded not guilty to nine counts of conspiracy, robbery, and murder. The charges stem from a violent robbery on September 29, 2025, at Unique Apartments in Katampe Extension, Abuja, where Maduagwu and Danlami were killed.

At Tuesday’s proceedings the prosecution opened it case by calling two witnesses who were victims of the armed robbery incidents that led to the death of Somtochukwu.

First to testify was Sani Yusuf, a resident of Unique Apartment.

Yusuf, led in evidence by Musa, relived the horrific events of the morning of September 29, 2025 before the court.

The 1st witness, a civil engineer, who concealed his identity with a nose mask and sun shade narrated how his apartments and others were raided by masked assailants shouting ‘Area’ while the plundering lasted. 

According to Yusuf he was woken up by a loud noise, gun shots and “strange voices speaking Hausa and huge bang on my door, they entered shouting “ where are you? come out”

He stated that after the armed men entered his bedroom, took his S25 Galaxy phone and Macbook Air laptop computer, he heard a scream of a female. “The scream stopped after about 15 minutes but before then I heard a lady screaming for help and noticed the security guard, Joshua saying his colleague had been shot”, he said.

He added that after the robbers had left, he came out of his apartment and “on my right I saw a body of a female lying face down in a pool of blood” he continued, “I came closer and assumed she was shot, at the time I couldn’t recognise her but could tell that she was dead.

“I ran towards Joshua and he had tied Barnabas gunshot wound. We got a neighbor’s car and took him to Maitama District Hospital and went back to the house to check if anybody needed help.

“The body of the woman I saw earlier had been taken away by the police. I went back to the hospital at about 4am and saw the lady’s body I saw earlier but was face up this time and recognised she was my neighbour Somto Maduagwu with a serious trauma on her head and she was later confirmed dead”.

At the end of his testimony, counsel to the defendants however said he has no question for the witness.

The Prosecution lawyer then went ahead to call the second witness (PW2), Fatou Toborteh, who also concealed her identity just like the first witness.

She said, “Somto is my neighbour and Barnabas is a gate man and runs errands for us. On September 29 at about 3am, I was in my flat at the said apartment with my aunt and children and heard screams and loud noises while in bed.

She disclosed that when the armed men forcefully entered into her apartment and responding to their demands, she surrendered her phone, car keys, cash and wallet, which she later found at the entrance of the flat alongside her debit card on the floor after the robbers had left.

“He opened my bedside drawer and found N55,000 cash and took it then he left and went downstairs with my car keys CRV Toyota Honda. one of the robbers also entered my aunt’s bedroom and my 14-year-old daughter’s room.

“They took a gold-plated wristwatch, an IPhone 11 promax and a Samsung phone from my aunt, lap top and some cash from my daughter”, she said.

‎”There were screams and calls for help. None came. There was distress in the apartment block for what seemed like forever. Until there was silence after the assailants left.

‎”It was afterwards that neighbours found Sommie lying face down in a pool of blood. And then there was scream for help by Joshua, a security guard, whose colleague, Barnabas Danlami, had been shot. Sommie and Barnabas were confirmed dead moments later at the Maitama District Hospital”, she added.

Meanwhile, the two witnesses said they couldn’t identify any of the assailants as they had masks.