The father of a slain corps member, Engr. Sani Jimoh, has recounted how soldiers allegedly shot and killed his 24-year-old son, Abdussamad Jamiu, inside his room in Dakwa community, Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The deceased, a Civil Engineering graduate of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, was just one month away from completing his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State when he was killed in the early hours of Saturday.

Jamiu, popularly known as Kesh, had lived in the apartment for some years until the unfortunate incident.

His cousin, Yusuf Enesi Adeiza, who spoke at the scene, described him as disciplined, focused, and widely admired.

“He got retained where he served. His Passing-Out Parade was supposed to be next month,” Adeiza said. “He was doing everything right.”

His father, Jimoh, who was away in Okene, Kogi State, at the time of the incident, said he received the news from his daughter, Farida, who was at home at the time of the incident.

“She informed me that she heard a gunshot from the ground floor, and having known that her brother was living there, she immediately rushed toward there, only to be flashed with a torchlight.

“She pleaded with the soldiers not to harm her as she did not know who they were. They introduced themselves to her and directed her to come down to the ground floor, where the sitting room and Jamiu’s room are located. She told me that, based on her observation, the soldiers were three in number and they immediately demanded her to follow them toward the house’s fence.”

According to him, the soldiers claimed they were in pursuit of a suspect.

“They pointed toward the fence, and told her that they are suspecting that somebody got into the house through there, and that informed their presence at the house. Her first response was to ask them about her brother, having heard a gunshot earlier on, and was yet to see him.”

He said his daughter then ran to her brother’s room, where she found him dead.

The house, where Abdulsamad Jamiu was killed.

“She had to run toward his room immediately where she found his lifeless body on the floor, in a pool of his blood, and a blown head. She confronted them telling them that “so you have killed my brother”, and immediately told them that she wants to inform me about the incident, which they didn’t object to.”

He said he suspects the soldiers may have been sent specifically to target his son.

“I suspect them for something else… like someone sent them to do it,” he said.

Jimoh said he spoke with one of the soldiers via phone after the incident.

“In the course of my conversation with her (Farida), I asked her to hand over the phone to them, so that I could talk to them. I then asked them about what happened, the person that I spoke to told me that they were trailing a thief, and all of a sudden, they could not see him. So, they suspected that he had jumped into my house, having seen the barbed wire there had been tampered with.

“I tried to ask them how they accessed my home, but their response was that I should not bother about that.”

He, however, rejected their explanation, insisting that the house was secure.

“So, I challenged them that even if you are pursuing an armed robber, you should not open fire toward his locked room, when you can hear him asking, ‘who is there, who is there.’

“Because a small girl living with us in the home said that she heard my son asking, ‘who is there, who is there,’ before they responded with gunshots toward his room.”

The bereaved father also alleged that the soldiers tampered with the scene after the shooting.

He said they invited local vigilantes to clean the bloodstains before the police from B Division, Dei-Dei, arrived to evacuate the body to the Kubwa General Hospital mortuary.

Jimoh said he rushed back to Abuja immediately after receiving the news.

“I left Okene around 3 a.m. and arrived Abuja later in the morning. The Divisional Police Officer briefed me, condoled with me, and asked me to take heart as a believing Muslim.

“After all that, I demanded to see the remains of my son and also take it for burial in accordance with Islamic injunction.”

He added that he was asked to sign an undertaking before the body could be released.

“He told me that if I have to fight the case, the corpse has to be returned to the hospital, but if otherwise, then the corpse could be released to me. I decided to collect the corpse and bury him that same Saturday.”

Jimoh said the soldiers had admitted responsibility, describing the killing as a mistake.

He, however, demanded justice and accountability.

“They promised that the person who triggered the shot would be investigated, brought to book, and dealt with accordingly. That was the first demand that I made, which should include the execution of the suspect in the presence of the family members,” he said.

He rejected claims of a robbery incident in the area, saying,

“There was no robbery incident in this area as has been claimed. There was no gunfire exchange that led to the death of my son, who was inside his room at the time.”

He added: “My son dreamed of joining the Nigerian Army, so I asked them to fulfill his wish by enlisting one of his younger brothers into the service. And definitely, there is a need for compensation.”

Cousin speaks on final moment with Jamiu

His cousin, Yusuf Enesi Adeiza, who spoke at the scene, described him as disciplined, focused, and widely admired.

“He got retained where he served. His Passing-Out Parade was supposed to be next month,” Adeiza said. “He was doing everything right.”

“I used to think he was just my friend until I found out he was actually my cousin,” he said.

He described Jamiu as calm and intelligent, noting that he balanced work, study, and gaming.

“If he wasn’t studying or working, he was gaming. That’s how we spent most of our weekends,” he said.

Adeiza also recalled what he described as the victim’s unusual final moments with friends.

“He went round greeting everyone and saying goodbye. We even joked about it because that’s not how we normally part ways,” he said.

Looking back, he added: “Now it feels like he somehow knew… like he was saying goodbye for the last time.”

Meanwhile, at the residence, residents pointed to the rear fence where they alleged that security personnel gained access by destroying the barbed wire. The main gate, they said, remained untouched.

A bullet hole was also seen on the wooden door from where the deceased was said to have been hit.

Residents said the mark was consistent with a shot fired through a closed door.

‘He was a Qur’anic teacher’

Daily Trust learnt that the late Jamiu was a Qur’anic teacher while he was living at Kubwa.

Suleiman Usman, a resident of Kubwa recalled Abdussamad as his former Qur’anic teacher. He said that they had a one-year teacher-student relationship.

Usman said, “It was after Isha’I prayer one Monday I came across him. His soothing voice filled the mosque. It was a beautiful recitation.

“I moved closer, greeted him and asked him to teach the Qur’an, which he instantly agreed to.

“I was devastated when I heard the story of his murder. It is a personally loss.”

“He was very jovial and sociable. He went along with almost everyone. I know many of his friends,” he said.

On his part, Muhsim Nazifi described Abdussamad as a childhood friend.

According to him, Abdussamad graduated from Madarasatul Hayatul Islam Gbazago, and was one of the best students the school has ever produced.

Nazifi said, “He was absolutely brilliant. They moved from Gbazago to Dakwa about three years ago, I think, though I can’t remember exactly.”

“He was my childhood friend. He attended GSS Bwari. We would play together. He later became closer to my younger brother, Anas, as they learned tailoring together.

“I remember one Eid-al-Adha when he spent the night at our house. At that time, they were learning tailoring with Anas.

“The last time I met him was about three weeks ago. He came to our home to greet our mother. He was very funny. He would pat me on the shoulders and crack jokes.

“He was the type who would distance himself from a friend if he discovered that the person had bad habits.

“I can recall that he parted ways with one of his friends because he found out the person smoked. He had encouraged him to stop smoking, but he refused.

“One thing about him was that he was reserved. He rarely posted on social media.

Photo shows destroyed barbed wire in the compound where the incident occurred.

Residents protest alleged army harassment

Meanwhile a group of youths in the community carried out a protest, demanding an end to what they called harassment by soldiers in the area.

A resident, who simply gave his name as Joseph, said the soldiers had demanded that every resident there must be in their home, once it is 10 pm.

“They don’t exempt any one, whether you operate a shop, or come from a place of work, or have an emergency demand, once it is 10 pm they will beat you”, he stated.

It was learnt that the development was coming after a new set of soldiers were deployed to the area recently.

Sources disclosed that the soldiers usually are from the 102 Guards Battalion, also known as Zuma Barracks, located along the Kaduna Road area, in Tafa council of Niger State.

Narrating his ordeal, a shop owner in the community, Salihu Yusuf, said he was confronted by the soldiers during such an operation around 10 pm, where he was allegedly beaten for not closing his shop at 10:30 pm.

He said his customer, a female, who was there to buy some eggs, was also beaten in the process.

Also speaking to the Daily Trust, a community leader who spoke in confidence, said for about a month now the soldiers have been enforcing curfew in the area.

He said based on what he learnt, one of the landlords there had communicated with a senior army officer friend in Bauchi, and sought facilitation of soldiers’ surveillance in the area, which had witnessed some kidnapping incidents in the past.

In return, the army officer related the matter to the Zuma Barracks, where the surveillance operation was reportedly granted.

Speaking on the incident, he said, “That boy is well known to me; he used to play table tennis at a popular hotel in the community. But I don’t know what might have led them into the house where the boy was living. I heard a narration that there was an armed robbery but this is totally wrong, as there was no such incident here, to tell the truth”, he stated.

When contacted, the commander of the vigilante in the area, Adamu Musa, said he traveled to Minna, the Niger State capital, on the day of the incident, and that he was yet to get details.

In a statement shared on X by a family member, Abu Bakr, the relatives described the Army’s initial account as an “insult” to the memory of the deceased.

According to the statement, the delegation, led by Brigadier S.O. Buhari, visited the family residence to commiserate with them and assess the scene of the incident. “This morning, 27 April 2026, representatives from HQ Nigerian Army, led by Brigadier S.O. Buhari, visited the family to offer condolences and inspect the scene,” the statement read.

It added that during the visit, members of the delegation acknowledged gaps in their earlier account of the incident. “During the visit, they stated that they were unaware that the house was fenced and that the room where the shooting occurred was located downstairs. This contradicts their earlier claim suggesting the death resulted from a ‘stray bullet,’” the family said. The Army delegation was also quoted as assuring the family that those involved in the incident would be investigated. “The delegation expressed condolences and assured the family that the officers involved would be investigated and held accountable,” the statement added. However, the family insisted that beyond condolences, there must be accountability and a correction of the narrative surrounding the killing. They maintained that the initial explanation by the military did not reflect the circumstances of the incident, stressing that justice must be served

Investigation ongoing – Army

When contacted, Acting Assistant Director Army Public Relations at the Headquarters of Guards Brigade, Olawuyi Odunola, explained that investigation into the incident is still ongoing.

Olawuyi, a Lieutenant, in a chat with one of our correspondents, said, “Investigation is ongoing as our press rel(ease) stated. Once the investigation is concluded, you will be updated.”

Earlier, the Nigerian Army confirmed the death of a serving National Youth Service Corps member, Abdulsamad Jamiu, during what it called a security operation following a robbery attack in Abuja.

The Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, Headquarters Guards Brigade, Lt. Olawuyi Odunola, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.

Odunola said troops of the Guards Brigade Quick Response Group, who were on routine night patrol, responded to a distress call over an armed robbery incident in the area.

“Upon arrival, the troops came under gunfire from the fleeing armed robbers, resulting in a brief but intense exchange.

“In the course of the engagement, Mr Jamiu was caught in the crossfire. Despite efforts by troops to secure the area and preserve lives, he sadly succumbed to his injuries. This heartbreaking loss has cast a deep shadow over all personnel of the Guards Brigade,” he said.

When contacted, Director of Information and Public Relations at the NYSC, Caroline Embu, said the Corps was saddened by the death of a serving member, adding that investigation was ongoing in the matter.

When our reporter reached out to the FCT Police Command’s spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, last night, an officer who attended to the call, said the matter is currently not before the command.

He said the matter must have been reported to the Dei-Dei Divsional Headquarters and may already be receiving attention there. (Daily Trust)

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