By Nchetachi Chukwuajah
Two prosecution witnesses in the trial of 11 suspects charged with robbery and the murder of an Arise Television news correspondent, Somtochukwu “Sommie” Maduagwu, and a security guard, Barnabas Danlami, failed to identify any of the suspects.
The witnesses, who appeared as PW1 and PW2, testified before a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court on Tuesday, February 10.
The 11 defendants are facing a nine-count amended charge bordering on criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, and culpable homicide.
They had pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were arraigned by the police on Wednesday, January 21.
Maduagwu, a 29-year-old Arise Television correspondent, died on September 29, 2025, after jumping from a three-storey building at her Katampe apartment while attempting to escape an armed robbery.
While giving his testimony, the first prosecution witness, Sani Yusuf, told the court that the incident occurred on September 29, 2025, between 3:00 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. at Unique Apartments, Katampe, Abuja.
Yusuf said he was asleep in his bedroom when he heard shouting in Hausa alongside loud banging noises, some of which he believed were gunshots.
“I was asleep when I heard some noise around 2:30 a.m. I then heard voices and a loud bang that sounded like a gunshot. I also heard someone speaking Hausa, shouting, ‘Where are you? Come out!” he said.
He told the court that he saw two masked men, one of whom held a torchlight and an object that looked like a knife.
According to him, the men ransacked his apartment, demanded his Samsung Galaxy S25 phone and MacBook Air laptop, and proceeded to check other rooms before leaving.
The witness added that moments later, he heard a security guard shouting for help.
“The security guard, Musa Joshua, was shouting that the other security guard, Barnabas, had been shot. By that time, the assailants had already left,” he said.
He added that when he got to the ground floor, he saw the body of a female tenant lying face down in a pool of blood, whom he initially assumed had also been shot.
Yusuf said he joined other residents in taking Barnabas to Maitama District Hospital
He said: “They wanted me to stay back, but I returned to the house in case I was needed. When I later went back to the hospital around 4:00 a.m., I saw the same body I had earlier seen at the house on a gurney. I could recognise her then because she was no longer face down.”
The witness said he discovered that the woman was his neighbour and noticed that she had severe head injuries.
“I went inside to check on Barnabas, but after some time, he died,” he added.
Yusuf told the court that he later returned to the apartment to get means of identification for the bodies of Barnabas and the deceased woman, whom he later learnt was Somtochukwu Maduagwu, saying he recognised her from the estate group chat.
The second prosecution witness, a female resident of the estate, also told the court that she could not recognise any of the defendants.
She said she was asleep with her aunt and her aunt’s children, including a 14-year-old girl, when the robbers forced their way into their apartment, demanding phones and money.
“I pointed to my phone on the floor. I did not have cash in my room. He searched my drawer and found my wallet and car key. Later, I found my wallet at the entrance with my debit card on the floor,” she said.
The witness added that the assailant later found N75,000 in a pouch beside her bed and took it before going downstairs to confirm the car using the remote.
PW2 further testified that another robber entered her aunt’s room and took her gold-plated wristwatch, an iPhone 11 Pro Max, and a Samsung phone at gunpoint.
According to her, another suspect also entered the room of her 14-year-old cousin and stole her laptop, Lenovo FreePad, and some cash.
She told the court that her aunt was hospitalised for three days after sustaining a knee injury during the incident.
The witness said the robbers eventually drove away in her white Honda CR-V.
“When they left, we went to the balcony and saw Sommie lying on the ground with blood around her head. We did not know it was her at first,” she said.
She said neighbours later confirmed that the woman who fell from the third floor was Somtochukwu Maduagwu, while the security guard, Barnabas, had been shot, adding that both victims were taken to the hospital.
None of the defence counsel cross-examined the witnesses.
The trial judge adjourned the matter until February 12 for continuation of the trial.
