A 24-year-old civil engineer, Abdulsamad Jamiu, popularly known as Kesh, was fatally shot inside his bedroom in Kubwa, Abuja, by soldiers from the Presidential Brigade of Guards in the early hours of Saturday, April 26, 2026. The incident occurred while the military was responding to a reported robbery alert, but Jamiu’s family insists there was no robbery or gunfire in the area. They have accused the soldiers of entering their compound through a broken section of the fence after the main gate was locked, and of shooting their son in a case of mistaken identity.
Jamiu, a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member set to complete his service in May, graduated with a second-class upper degree in civil engineering from the Federal University of Technology, Minna. He had also planned to join the Nigerian Army through the Direct Short Service Commission. His foster father, Engr. MomohSani Jimoh, was in Okene, Kogi State, for his mother’s burial rites when he received a distress call from his daughter at 2:04 a.m. She told him, “Daddy, daddy, the worst has happened. They have killed Samad,” before the call ended. Jimoh immediately returned to Abuja to confront the situation.
According to Jimoh, the soldiers entered the compound through a damaged barbed wire section, bypassing the locked gate. He emphasized that the only gunshot heard was inside his house, with no signs of robbery or exchange of fire in the neighborhood. His daughter, Farida Jimoh, recounted that she was woken by a gunshot and found three soldiers in military uniforms in the corridor. They flashed a flashlight in her face and told her to calm down. When she entered her brother’s room, she found him dead.
Farida said she screamed in shock, but one soldier told her to be quiet, saying neighbors might wake up. She attempted to call her father, but a soldier seized her phone and only returned it after she pleaded repeatedly. The family also alleged that soldiers locked her out of the house, handed the keys to the local vigilance team, and later brought in 10 more soldiers on bikes who took selfies at the scene.
Jimoh said he later spoke with a soldier who admitted the shooting was a mistake, saying, “Oga, don’t worry, it was a mistake. It has happened. Calm down.” He also claimed that after Jamiu’s body was removed, soldiers instructed the vigilance team to clean the room. This information came to light after journalists interviewed vigilance members in Hausa, as they could not communicate well in English.
Military delegations, including Colonel S. Buhari representing the Chief of Defence Staff, visited the family. Jimoh demanded the retraction of a military statement that described the incident as a crossfire during a robbery operation, insisting that no robbers were involved. The delegation assured the family that the matter would be investigated thoroughly and that actions would be taken to serve as a deterrent. A police statement was taken from family members and a neighbor, and the Divisional Police Officer said the military had already removed the body to Kubwa Hospital before his arrival.
The incident has sparked widespread concern over military conduct and accountability in Nigeria’s capital, raising urgent questions about civilian safety and the need for transparent investigations.
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