Court Adjourns Arise TV Anchor’s Murder Trial 

The trial of eleven men accused of killing Arise Television anchor Somtochukwu Maduagwu and a security guard, Barnabas Danlami, was adjourned on Monday after prison authorities failed to produce the defendants in court.

The suspects, who are facing a nine-count charge including armed robbery and culpable homicide, were absent at the Federal Capital Territory High Court. 

During proceedings, prosecution counsel Adama Musa reportedly informed the court that officials of the Nigerian Correctional Service(NCoS) said they were unaware of the hearing date. 

He noted that the prosecution had made significant efforts to prepare for the trial, bringing four witnesses to court who had left their workplaces to attend.

Justice Mohammed Idris adjourned the matter to February 10, 2026 and asked the witnesses to return on that date.

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.

The case stems from a September 29 attack in which about 15 armed men reportedly stormed Unique Apartments, a 16-flat building in Abuja’s Katampe district. 

Maduagwu, popularly known as Sommie, died during the incident after reportedly jumping from the building, while Danlami, a security guard, was shot dead.

The suspects had earlier pleaded not guilty to the charges.