By Vivian Okejeme
The third prosecution witness in the trial of eleven suspects linked to the murder of Arise News anchor, Somtochukwu “Sommie” Maduagwu, testified on Tuesday, providing a detailed account of the coordinated arrests following the fatal robbery at her residence.
The defendants standing trial are Shamsu Hassan, Sani Surajo, Hassan Isah, Abubakar Alkamu, Abdulsalam Saleh, Suleiman Badamosi, Zaradeen Mohammed, Musa Umar (alias Small), Mashikur Jamil, Suleiman Sani, and Abubakar Usman.
At the resumed proceedings before the High Court of the FCT in Jabi, the witness, ASP Maxwell Eje, a member of the Scorpion Squad (CID-FCT Command), revealed that the breakthrough began with the primary suspect, Shamsu Hassan.
According to ASP Eje, police intelligence discovered on September 30, 2025—just one day after the robbery at Unique Apartments in Katampe—that Hassan had fled to Zaria. Upon his arrest, Hassan reportedly confessed to the crime and agreed to lead operatives to his accomplices.
The trail led the Scorpion Squad to Sani Surajo, who was found receiving treatment for undisclosed injuries at a hospital in Gosa, a suburb along the Abuja Airport Road.
“Surajo was shocked at the sight of the security operatives at the hospital,” ASP Eje testified. “Like Hassan, he also agreed to cooperate and provided useful information regarding the whereabouts of the other gang members involved in the operation.”
The FCT Police Commissioner is prosecuting the eleven defendants on charges of conspiracy, armed robbery, and murder. The charges stem from the September 29, 2025, raid at Unique Apartments, which resulted in the deaths of Somtochukwu Maduagwu—who reportedly plunged from her third-story apartment during the attack—and a security guard, Barnabas Danlami.
During the session, defense counsel Dennis Abu requested leave from the presiding judge, Justice Mohammed Idris, to attend a medical appointment.
Consequently, the court adjourned the matter until Thursday, April 23, 2026, for the conclusion of ASP Eje’s evidence-in-chief and subsequent cross-examination.
So far, the court has heard from:Sani Yusuf (PW1), a civil engineer and former resident of the apartments, and Fatou Toborteh (PW2): Another former resident.
While both witnesses described the harrowing experience of masked assailants raiding their homes, they noted that the use of masks by the attackers made it impossible to positively identify any of the eleven defendants in the dock
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