At the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Jabi, the trial of eleven defendants accused of killing Arise News presenter Somtochukwu “Sommie” Maduagwu resumed on Tuesday. A prosecution witness described how the suspects were located and taken into custody.
The first defendant, Shamsu Hassan, who allegedly fled to Zaria following the robbery at Unique Apartments, Katampe, Abuja on September 29, 2025, was apprehended as a result of investigations, according to the third prosecution witness, Maxwell Eje, an Assistant Superintendent of Police assigned to the Scorpion Squad of the CID, FCT Command.
According to Eje, Hassan was captured on September 30 and later admitted his role in the murder. He also provided information that helped other suspects be taken into custody.
The witness claims that Hassan led operatives to a hospital in Gosa, on Airport Road in Abuja, where Surajo was undergoing treatment, and named Surajo as one of the accomplices.
“Shortly after, our commander called to inform us that Shamsu had been taken into custody, and he admitted to them that one of the suspects was being treated at Gosa because he had been hurt in an accident,” he told the court.
He claimed that Surajo was caught off guard when he saw the operatives, but he later consented to assist the investigators and gave details on other group members.
However, defense attorney Dennis Abu, who represented the seventh through eleventh defendants and held a brief for the first and third defendants, requested permission from the court to attend a medical appointment, causing the proceedings to halt before cross-examination.
After that, Justice Mohammed Idris postponed the case until April 23, 2026, so that the witness’s cross-examination and evidence-in-chief could continue. In the meantime, the prosecution had previously stated that it was prepared to summon two witnesses during the hearing.
Following the robbery event that resulted in the deaths of Maduagwu and a security officer, Barnabas Danlami, the FCT Commissioner of Police filed charges against the defendants that bordered on conspiracy, armed robbery, and murder.
Two previous residents of the estate have testified so far in the trial, which started on February 10, 2026, following early delays. They described how masked gunmen carried out the attack but claimed they were unable to identify any of the accused.
