Judge watches suspects’ confession video recording in slain Arise TV journalist case

An FCT High Court in Jabi, Abuja, has viewed part of a police interrogation video presented as evidence in the trial of 11 defendants accused over the robbery in which Arise News journalist Somtochukwu Maduagwu and security guard Barnabas Danlami were slain. Justice Mohammed Idris watched approximately 20 minutes of the recording, featuring statements from the first two defendants, before defence lawyers requested that playback stop to save time.

The defendants face nine counts relating to criminal conspiracy, armed robbery and the slaying of the two victims at Unique Apartments in Katampe, Abuja, in September 2025. All pleaded not guilty and remain remanded at Kuje Correctional Centre. They are Shamsu Hassan, Sani Sirajo, Hassan Isah, Abubakar Alkamu, Abdulsalam Saleh, Suleiman Badamasi, Zaharadeen Mohammed, Musa Umar, Mashkur Jamil, Suleiman Sani and Abubakar Usman.

Prosecution counsel Adama Musa tendered the recording through Assistant Superintendent of Police Douglas Ishaku, the fourth prosecution witness. Ishaku said he recorded the defendants’ statements, conducted questioning in Hausa and translated the questions and responses into English.

After admitting the recording as an exhibit, the court granted the prosecution’s request to play it on a laptop viewed by the judge and lawyers. In the recording, Hassan acknowledged that he was being investigated for armed robbery and named people he alleged participated in the incident.

He said the group carried weapons and admitted firing at the security guard when the guard attempted to overpower another member. He said he did not know the guard subsequently died. Hassan also said a woman jumped from the building following the gunshot. His account differed from Ishaku’s earlier testimony that a member of the group pushed Maduagwu from the building. Hassan said the group took valuables, including a vehicle, and that he received ₦200,000 from the proceeds.

Sirajo, the second defendant, said in the recording that he drove the vehicle used to transport the group to the apartment complex. He described collecting the car in Abuja and picking up other members at different locations before travelling to Katampe. He said another member directed him to the property.

Sirajo said he parked outside and heard a gunshot during the robbery. Following the playback, the prosecution concluded Ishaku’s examination-in-chief, and defence lawyers began questioning him about the investigation and the procedures used to obtain the statements. Counsel for Hassan, A.B. Samson, asked when the written and recorded statements were taken. Ishaku said he could not recall the dates.

The witness confirmed that neither lawyers nor relatives of the defendants were present during the recording. He also acknowledged that the robbery victims had been unable to identify the defendants. Under questioning by Sirajo’s lawyer, William Otabor, Ishaku said he could not recall the name of the hospital in Gosa-Toge, Abuja, where the second defendant was arrested, or the name of a staff member he spoke with there. He said he knew the condition for which Sirajo was receiving treatment but had not included it in his witness statement.

Ishaku confirmed that no gadgets taken during the robbery were found on Sirajo when he was arrested. He also said he did not accompany the exhibit keeper into the police exhibit room when a recovered firearm was stored. The third defendant’s lawyer, E.I. Onoja, adopted the questions asked by counsel for the first and second defendants.

Responding to Ojonomi Apeh, who represents the fourth to sixth defendants, Ishaku confirmed that the fifth defendant denied participating in the robbery. He maintained that investigators found evidence linking him to the group. Justice Idris adjourned proceedings until December 9 for the continuation of cross-examination. During earlier testimony, police witness Maxwell Eje described how investigators arrested suspects and recovered weapons allegedly connected to the robbery.

Two residents, Sani Yusuf and Fatou Toborteh, previously told the court that they heard a woman screaming and later saw Maduagwu injured. She was subsequently confirmed dead at a hospital. Both residents said they could not identify the defendants because the intruders wore masks. The allegations remain before the court for determination.