Witnesses on Tuesday gave accounts before a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court of how Arise Television news correspondent, Somtochukwu “Sommie” Maduagwu, was found lying face down with severe head injuries in a pool of blood following a deadly armed robbery at her Abuja residence.
The testimonies were given in the ongoing trial of 11 suspects arraigned on a nine-count amended charge bordering on criminal conspiracy, armed robbery and murder over the killing of the 29-year-old journalist.
Maduagwu lost her life in the early hours of September 29, 2025, after jumping from a three-storey building at Unique Apartments, Katampe, Abuja, while attempting to escape armed robbers who had invaded the estate.
Two prosecution witnesses, identified as PW1 and PW2, however told the court that they could not identify any of the defendants standing trial.
Taking the witness stand, the first prosecution witness, Sani Yusuf, narrated how the violent incident unfolded in the dead of night.
Yusuf told the court that he was asleep in his bedroom between 3:00 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. on September 29, 2025, when he was jolted awake by loud noises and shouts.
He said he peeped out and saw two masked men inside the apartment complex, one holding a torchlight and another object he believed was a knife.
According to him, the assailants forcefully entered his apartment, ransacked the rooms and demanded his Samsung Galaxy S25 phone and MacBook Air laptop.
He said they checked other rooms before leaving.
Yusuf further told the court that moments after the attackers fled, chaos erupted within the estate as one of the security guards began shouting for help.
Yusuf recounted that after hearing that security guard Barnabas had been shot, he rushed downstairs and discovered a female tenant lying face down in a pool of blood.
Residents quickly mobilised to take the wounded Barnabas to Maitama District Hospital. Yusuf returned to the scene briefly and later visited the hospital around 4:00 a.m., where he encountered a distressing scene.
“I saw the same body I had earlier seen at the house on a gurney,” he said.
He said he could recognise her then because she was no longer face down.
Yusuf told the court that upon closer observation, he noticed that the woman had sustained severe head injuries.
Yusuf confirmed that the security guard, Barnabas, later died from his gunshot injuries.
He returned to the apartment to collect identification for both victims and later learned that the female tenant was his neighbour, Somtochukwu Maduagwu, an Arise Television correspondent.
Another prosecution witness, a female resident, described how armed men broke into her apartment while she slept with her aunt and the children. She told the court that she could not identify any of the assailants.
The second prosecution witness (PW2) said the robbers stormed her apartment, demanding money and phones at gunpoint.
They stole cash, a wallet, car keys, and valuables including a gold-plated wristwatch, smartphones, and a laptop from her 14-year-old cousin.
Her aunt was injured during the attack and hospitalised for three days. The assailants eventually fled the estate in the witness’s white Honda CR-V.
She said after the robbers left, they “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 added that neighbours later confirmed that the woman who fell from the third floor was Somtochukwu Maduagwu, while the estate security guard, Barnabas, had been shot by the assailants.
She said both victims were rushed to the hospital, but they did not survive.
None of the defence counsel cross-examined the prosecution witnesses after their testimonies.
The presiding judge subsequently adjourned the matter until February 12, 2026, for continuation of the trial.
