Police witness says journalist was pushed to death during Abuja robbery
A police investigator told an Abuja court that journalist Somtochukwu Maduagwu was pushed from a two-storey building during an armed robbery at her Katampe residence in September 2025. The witness also alleged that a defendant shot a security guard and described how 11 suspects were arrested.
A police investigator has told the FCT High Court in Jabi, Abuja, that journalist Somtochukwu Maduagwu was pushed from a two-storey building during an armed robbery at her residence. Douglas Ishaku, an assistant superintendent of police and the fourth prosecution witness, gave the evidence on Tuesday during the trial of 11 suspects linked to the incident. Ishaku said the robbery occurred at Maduagwu’s residence in the Katampe area of Abuja on September 29, 2025.
He told the court that investigators concluded that one of the occupants had been pushed from the building by a member of the robbery gang. The evidence contradicted reports that Maduagwu had jumped from the building while attempting to escape the attackers. Ishaku did not identify the defendant he alleged had pushed her.
The investigator identified first defendant Shamsu Hassan as the person who allegedly shot Barnabas Danlami, a security guard at the residence. Hassan is among the 11 people charged with murder and armed robbery. Ishaku said human intelligence and digital analysis were used to arrest the suspects.
He told the court that Hassan fled to Zaria after the incident and allegedly confessed following his arrest, then disclosed the location of second defendant Sani Sirajo. Sirajo was found in a hospital, where he was receiving treatment. According to the witness, Sirajo agreed to cooperate with the police and helped lure other suspected gang members to a meeting at Dei Dei Bridge in Abuja.
The witness said arms recovered during the investigation included a pump-action gun allegedly owned by Sirajo and a fabricated AK-47 allegedly owned by Hassan. He also said some suspects made confessional statements that implicated others. Ishaku told the court that the statements were video-recorded, that cautionary words were administered and that the suspects spoke in languages they understood.
He said investigations indicated that the defendants belonged to a syndicate operating in different locations. Earlier witnesses said they heard screams and saw Maduagwu with a serious head injury but could not identify the masked robbers. The trial is continuing.
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