The mother of slain National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Abdulsamad Jamiu, has narrated the painful circumstances surrounding her son’s death, describing a night of confusion, fear and eventual heartbreak.
Habiba Abubakar, speaking in an interview with The Cable on Monday, said she was away attending a burial ceremony when she received a troubling call from a neighbour in the early hours of the day.
“I travelled on Thursday, hoping to come back on Saturday to meet my son at home. Only for me to receive a call from my next neighbour around 2:30… She said she’s hearing gunshots. Fear gripped me,” she said.
She explained that her attempts to reach her children failed, as one phone was switched off while another line was busy.
Abubakar said when she eventually reached her husband, he avoided revealing the full situation.
“Initially, he didn’t want to tell me the actual truth. He said, ‘Soldier carried Abdulsamad.’ I said, soldier, Abdulsamad? How, for what?” she recalled.
She added that her phone was taken from her during the emotional moment, further heightening her suspicion.
Abubakar further stated, “That was when I knew that my son is not alive again.”
Recounting what she was told about the incident, the grieving mother alleged that soldiers invaded their home by scaling the fence and forcing their way in.
“They shot him through the door. They shot the door two times,” she said.
According to her, Abdulsamad was inside his room at the time of the shooting.
“Who did he offend? I want to know,” she cried.
Allegations Of Cover-Up
Abubakar further alleged that after the shooting, soldiers directed local vigilantes to clean up the scene.
“They entered my kitchen, took Klin… took bucket and gave the vigilante to mop the blood. What happened? Why would they do that?” she queried.
The Nigerian Army, through the Guards Brigade, had earlier stated that the 24-year-old corps member died during a crossfire when troops responded to an armed robbery incident in the Dei-Dei area of Abuja.
The Brigade’s spokesperson, Lieutenant Olawuyi Odunola, said the incident occurred “in the course of the engagement” with fleeing suspects.
However, the family rejected the Army’s explanation, describing it as inaccurate.
In a statement, they said the bullet trajectory indicated the shot was fired from outside through a closed door, “not consistent with a firefight.”
They also claimed no weapons were recovered and no armed suspects were identified at the scene.
“The soldiers acknowledged that the killing of Abdulsamad Jamiu was a mistake. They admitted that they had killed an innocent person,” the family alleged.
The family has called for an independent investigation, prosecution of those responsible, and a formal apology from the military.
“The Nigerian Military operates under a constitutional mandate to protect Nigerian citizens. On the night of 25th April 2026, that mandate was catastrophically and fatally violated,” the statement read.