Habiba Abubakar, mother of Abdulsamad Jamiu, a 24-year-old National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member allegedly killed in Dei-Dei, Abuja, has recounted the painful and confusing moments that led to the discovery of her son’s death.
Speaking in an interview on Monday, Abubakar said she was out of town with her husband for a burial when a neighbor called around 2:30 a.m. to report gunshots in their area.
“I traveled on Thursday, hoping to return on Saturday to meet my son at home. Only to receive a call from my neighbor asking if everything was fine. She said she was hearing gunshots. Fear gripped me,” she said.
She explained that repeated attempts to reach her children failed, as one phone was switched off and another was unreachable. When she finally contacted her husband, he initially downplayed the situation.
“He didn’t tell me the truth at first. He said soldiers had taken Abdulsamad for interrogation. I kept asking why,” she said.
Abubakar said her suspicion grew when family members took her phone during the ordeal and could not return it when requested.
“That was when I knew my son was no longer alive,” she said.
Upon her return to Abuja, she was confronted with the reality of her son’s death. She insisted that he was inside his room when the incident occurred and questioned the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
“They shot him through the door. They fired at the door twice,” she alleged.
She further claimed that soldiers entered the compound by scaling the fence, accessed the house through the back, and went straight to her son’s room. According to her, they later asked vigilantes to clean the scene using items taken from her kitchen.
“They took cleaning materials and asked vigilantes to mop the blood. Why would they do that?” she asked.
Jamiu was killed in the early hours of April 25 at his family residence in Dei-Dei Shagari Quarters while his parents were away. His sister was reportedly at home during the incident.
The Nigerian Army, through the Headquarters Guards Brigade, had earlier stated that the corps member died after being caught in crossfire during a response to a distress call about an armed robbery.
Spokesperson Olawuyi Odunola said troops came under fire from fleeing suspects, leading to the fatal shooting.
However, the family has rejected the military’s account, describing it as misleading. They argued that the bullet trajectory suggests it was fired from outside through a closed door, contradicting claims of a crossfire.
They also said no weapons were recovered from the scene and that witnesses reported hearing only a single gunshot. The family further alleged that soldiers admitted the shooting was a mistake in the presence of a divisional police officer.
Calling for justice, the family demanded an independent investigation, the suspension and prosecution of those involved, a retraction of the military’s statement, and a formal apology.
“The Nigerian military is constitutionally mandated to protect citizens. On April 25, that mandate was catastrophically violated,” the family said.
