The trial of 11 defendants charged with the murder of Arise News anchor, Somtochukwu “Sommie” Maduagwu, resumed on Tuesday at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting in Jabi, with a prosecution witness narrating how the suspects were tracked and arrested.
The third prosecution witness, Maxwell Eje, an Assistant Superintendent of Police attached to the Scorpion Squad of the CID, FCT Command, told the court that investigations led to the arrest of the first defendant, Shamsu Hassan, who allegedly fled to Zaria after the September 29, 2025, robbery at Unique Apartments, Katampe, Abuja.
Eje said Hassan was apprehended on September 30 and subsequently confessed to involvement in the crime, adding that he volunteered information that aided the arrest of other suspects.
According to the witness, Hassan identified Sani Surajo as one of the accomplices, leading operatives to a hospital in Gosa, along Airport Road, Abuja, where Surajo was receiving treatment.
“Within a short time, our commander called us to say that they had arrested Shamsu, and he confessed to them that one of the suspects was at Gosa receiving treatment, as he was wounded in an accident,” he told the court.
He said Surajo was taken by surprise upon sighting the operatives, but later agreed to cooperate with investigators and provided information on other members of the group.
Proceedings were, however, stalled before cross-examination as defence counsel, Dennis Abu, representing the seventh to eleventh defendants and holding a brief for the first and third defendants, sought leave of the court to attend a medical appointment.
Justice Mohammed Idris subsequently adjourned the matter till April 23, 2026, for continuation of the witness’s evidence-in-chief and cross-examination. Meanwhile, the prosecution had earlier indicated readiness to call two witnesses at the hearing.
The FCT Commissioner of Police filed the charges against the defendants bordering on conspiracy, armed robbery, and murder, following the robbery incident during which Maduagwu and a security guard, Barnabas Danlami, were killed.
The trial, which commenced on February 10, 2026, after initial delays, has so far featured testimonies from two former residents of the estate, who recounted how masked gunmen carried out the attack but said they could not identify any of the defendants.
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