The murder trial arising from the death of Arise News journalist and lawyer Somtochukwu Maduagwu has entered a critical evidential stage at the FCT High Court in Abuja, where the trial judge watched video recordings of police interrogations involving men accused of participating in the deadly robbery.
Defence lawyers have now turned attention to the circumstances under which the statements were obtained, including the absence of lawyers or relatives during the recorded sessions, as the court continues to examine evidence in one of Abuja’s most closely watched recent murder prosecutions.
The trial of 11 men accused over the armed robbery that resulted in the deaths of Arise News journalist Somtochukwu Christelle Maduagwu and security guard Barnabas Danlami has taken another significant turn before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory.
Justice Mohammed Idris, sitting in Jabi, watched part of a police interrogation video admitted into evidence in the case.
The recording was tendered through Assistant Superintendent of Police Douglas Ishaku, the fourth prosecution witness, and showed oral statements attributed to some of the defendants during police interrogation.
About 20 minutes of the recording were played in open court before proceedings moved into further questioning of the police witness.
The defence has focused closely on how the statements were taken. During cross-examination, Ishaku confirmed that neither lawyers nor relatives of the accused persons were present during the recorded interrogation sessions.
That issue could become important as the trial develops because Nigerian criminal procedure places considerable importance on the voluntariness and reliability of statements attributed to accused persons.
The prosecution, however, maintains that its investigation linked the defendants to the armed robbery.
The 11 men face nine counts involving criminal conspiracy, armed robbery and murder. All have pleaded not guilty and remain in custody pending the conclusion of the proceedings.
Earlier prosecution evidence has sought to reconstruct what happened during the attack at Unique Apartments in Katampe, Abuja.
A police investigator previously told the court that the prosecution’s case is that Maduagwu was pushed from the building during the robbery rather than voluntarily jumping in panic, as some early accounts of her death had suggested. The prosecution also alleges that Danlami was shot by one of the attackers.
Those assertions remain evidence placed before the court and are yet to become judicial findings against the defendants.
The case carries particular public interest because Maduagwu was both a journalist and a lawyer, and her death triggered demands for justice from the media community and organisations within the Nigerian Bar.
Justice Idris adjourned proceedings to December 9 for continuation of cross-examination. The Times Nigeria
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