As reported by the Punch on Monday, August 11, 2025, officers from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command have apprehended three individuals suspected of being involved in the killing of Liberty Radio employee, Azubuko Nwakama.
Nwakama had been assaulted and robbed at Panteka Market in Mpape, Abuja, in June 2024, an attack that ultimately led to his death.
Giving a progress report on Sunday, the Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, Josephine Adeh, explained that investigators were immediately assigned to look into the incident after it occurred.
According to her, the suspects — 32-year-old Mutari Lawal from Kano State, 22-year-old Dan’Asabe Ibrahim from Zamfara State, and 18-year-old Danjuma Ibrahim, who has no permanent residence in Mpape — were traced and detained after more than a year of painstaking investigative work.
Adeh revealed that early attempts to locate the victim’s stolen phone were unsuccessful, as it remained switched off for over twelve months.
She noted that a significant lead emerged on August 2, 2025, when the stolen device — identified as a Redmi 13C — was turned on and tracked to Lawal, leading to his arrest.
In her statement, Adeh confirmed that, “Police personnel attached to the Mpape Division of the FCT Command have taken into custody three suspects linked to the fatal attack and robbery of Mr. Azubuko Nwakama of Liberty Radio, which took place on June 14, 2024, at Panteka Market, Mpape, Abuja.”
Hear him speak: “During interrogation, Mutari confessed to attacking and stabbing the deceased before making away with his valuables. He named his accomplices as Dan’Asabe Ibrahim, 22yrs, from Zamfara State, and Danjuma Ibrahim 18yrs, both of no fixed address in Mpape, with whom he carried out the crime. He further disclosed that he took the stolen phone to Kano, kept it switched off for a year, and only powered it on in August 2025 to wipe data, insert his SIM card, and return to Abuja, “
