Trial of the suspected killers of Arise Television news anchor, Somtochukwu Maduagwu and Barnabas Danlami, a security guard, was stalled yesterday after the Nigerian Correctional Service, NCoS, failed to bring the suspects to court.
The 11 suspects, who are facing trial on a nine-count charge bordering on armed robbery and culpable homicide, did not show up at the Federal Capital Territory High Court.
The defendants had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The defendants are Suleiman Badamosi, Zaradeen Mohammed, Musa Umar, Mashikur Jamil, Suleiman Sani, Abubakar Usman, Shamsu Hassan, Sani Surajo, Hassan Isah, Abubakar Alkamu and Abdulsalam Saleh.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, during the court proceedings yesterday, the prosecution counsel, Adama Musa told the court that the prison officers claimed they were unaware of the hearing date.
Musa said his team brought four witnesses to court in preparation for the trial of the defendants.
“On the part of the prosecution, we are in court with four witnesses who we went the extra mile to ensure are present; they abandoned their offices and are in court today,” he said.
The trial judge, Justice Mohammed Idris adjourned the case to February 10 and urged the witnesses to return to court on that day for the trial.
On September 29, 2025, about 15 armed men invaded Unique Apartments, a 16-flat four-storey building in Katampe area of Abuja, the country’s capital.
Maduagwu, popularly known as Sommie, died during the robbery incident after she reportedly jumped from the storey building.
Danlami, a security guard at the apartment, was shot dead by the armed robbers.
