Habiba Abubakar, mother of slain National Youth Service Corps member Abdulsamad Jamiu, has recounted the agonising night she learnt her 24-year-old son had allegedly been killed by soldiers at their family home in Dei-Dei, Abuja.
Speaking in an emotional interview with Frontline Reporters on Monday, the grieving mother described a nightmare filled with frantic phone calls, fear, and family members struggling to hide the devastating truth from her.
“Fear Gripped Me”
Habiba said she had travelled with her husband for a burial ceremony on Thursday, expecting to return on Saturday and reunite with her son.
But in the early hours of the morning, a troubling call from a neighbour shattered those plans.
“Around 2:30 a.m., my next-door neighbour called and asked if everything was alright. She said she was hearing gunshots. Fear gripped me immediately,” she said.
Panicked, she tried reaching her eldest son, but his phone was switched off. Her daughter’s line was busy.
When she eventually got through to her husband, she said he avoided telling her the full truth.
“He said, ‘Soldiers carried Abdulsamad.’ I asked, soldiers? For what? He said they only wanted to interrogate him,” she recalled.
The late corps member Abdulsamad Jamiu. Credit: X| Northorious
“That Was When I Knew My Son Was Dead”
Habiba said as she cried uncontrollably, someone took her phone away. When she demanded it back, relatives claimed they could not find it.
At that moment, she said, she knew the worst had happened.
“That was when I knew that my son was no longer alive,” she said tearfully.
She said her daughter, Farida, kept urging her to remain calm because of her blood pressure, but no one could prepare her for what awaited her in Abuja.
“I got to Abuja only to discover that my son was dead.”
Allegations of Forced Entry and Fatal Shooting
Recounting what she was told happened that night, Habiba alleged that soldiers did not enter through the gate but scaled the fence, moved through the backyard, and went straight to Abdulsamad’s room.
She claimed they fired through the closed door.
“They shot him through the door. They shot the door two times,” she said.
She further alleged that after the shooting, soldiers ordered vigilante members in the area to clean up the blood using detergent and a bucket taken from her kitchen.
“They entered my kitchen, took Klin, took a bucket, and gave the vigilante to mop the blood. Why would they do that?” she asked.
“Who Did He Offend?”
Overcome with grief, Habiba insisted her son was inside his room when the soldiers arrived — not outside, not in the parlour, and not involved in any confrontation.
“Who did he offend? I want to know. Who did you offend?” she cried repeatedly.
Army Claims Crossfire, Family Rejects Narrative
Abdulsamad Jamiu was reportedly killed in the early hours of April 25 at the family residence in Dei-Dei Shagari Quarters while his parents were away. His sister was in the house at the time.
The Headquarters Guards Brigade of the Nigerian Army had earlier said the corps member was caught in crossfire when troops responded to a distress call about armed robbers in the area.
According to Brigade spokesperson, Odunola Olawuyi, soldiers came under attack from fleeing suspects and the death occurred during the exchange.
However, the family has strongly rejected that version of events, calling it false, misleading, and deeply insulting to the memory of an innocent young man.
Family Demands Independent Probe
In a formal statement released Monday, the family said the bullet’s trajectory showed it was fired from outside the room through a closed door — inconsistent with any gun battle.
They also stated that no weapons were recovered, no armed suspects were identified, and witnesses reported hearing only a single gunshot throughout the night — the one that killed Abdulsamad.
The family further alleged that soldiers admitted at the scene, in the presence of a Divisional Police Officer, that the killing was a mistake.
Now, they are demanding:
An independent investigation
Suspension and prosecution of those responsible
Retraction of the Army’s statement
A formal apology to the family
Slain Corps Member’s Mother Recounts Night of Terror, Demands Justice for Son
Habiba Abubakar, mother of slain National Youth Service Corps member Abdulsamad Jamiu, has recounted the agonising night she learnt her 24-year-old son had allegedly been killed by soldiers at their family home in Dei-Dei, Abuja.
Speaking in an emotional interview with Frontline Reporters on Monday, the grieving mother described a nightmare filled with frantic phone calls, fear, and family members struggling to hide the devastating truth from her.
“Fear Gripped Me”
Habiba said she had travelled with her husband for a burial ceremony on Thursday, expecting to return on Saturday and reunite with her son.
But in the early hours of the morning, a troubling call from a neighbour shattered those plans.
“Around 2:30 a.m., my next-door neighbour called and asked if everything was alright. She said she was hearing gunshots. Fear gripped me immediately,” she said.
Panicked, she tried reaching her eldest son, but his phone was switched off. Her daughter’s line was busy.
When she eventually got through to her husband, she said he avoided telling her the full truth.
“He said, ‘Soldiers carried Abdulsamad.’ I asked, soldiers? For what? He said they only wanted to interrogate him,” she recalled.
“That Was When I Knew My Son Was Dead”
Habiba said as she cried uncontrollably, someone took her phone away. When she demanded it back, relatives claimed they could not find it.
At that moment, she said, she knew the worst had happened.
“That was when I knew that my son was no longer alive,” she said tearfully.
She said her daughter, Farida, kept urging her to remain calm because of her blood pressure, but no one could prepare her for what awaited her in Abuja.
“I got to Abuja only to discover that my son was dead.”
Allegations of Forced Entry and Fatal Shooting
Recounting what she was told happened that night, Habiba alleged that soldiers did not enter through the gate but scaled the fence, moved through the backyard, and went straight to Abdulsamad’s room.
She claimed they fired through the closed door.
“They shot him through the door. They shot the door two times,” she said.
She further alleged that after the shooting, soldiers ordered vigilante members in the area to clean up the blood using detergent and a bucket taken from her kitchen.
“They entered my kitchen, took Klin, took a bucket, and gave the vigilante to mop the blood. Why would they do that?” she asked.
“Who Did He Offend?”
Overcome with grief, Habiba insisted her son was inside his room when the soldiers arrived — not outside, not in the parlour, and not involved in any confrontation.
“Who did he offend? I want to know. Who did you offend?” she cried repeatedly.
Army Claims Crossfire, Family Rejects Narrative
Abdulsamad Jamiu was reportedly killed in the early hours of April 25 at the family residence in Dei-Dei Shagari Quarters while his parents were away. His sister was in the house at the time.
The Headquarters Guards Brigade of the Nigerian Army had earlier said the corps member was caught in crossfire when troops responded to a distress call about armed robbers in the area.
According to Brigade spokesperson, Odunola Olawuyi, soldiers came under attack from fleeing suspects and the death occurred during the exchange.
However, the family has strongly rejected that version of events, calling it false, misleading, and deeply insulting to the memory of an innocent young man.
Family Demands Independent Probe
In a formal statement released Monday, the family said the bullet’s trajectory showed it was fired from outside the room through a closed door — inconsistent with any gun battle.
They also stated that no weapons were recovered, no armed suspects were identified, and witnesses reported hearing only a single gunshot throughout the night — the one that killed Abdulsamad.
The family further alleged that soldiers admitted at the scene, in the presence of a Divisional Police Officer, that the killing was a mistake.
Now, they are demanding:
An independent investigation
Suspension and prosecution of those responsible
Retraction of the Army’s statement
A formal apology to the family
“The Nigerian Military has a constitutional duty to protect citizens. On April 25, that duty was catastrophically violated,” the family said
