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Abuja Market Shooting: NSCDC Suspends Officer, Orders Trial
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has suspended a Deputy Superintendent of Corps, Onoja Babayo Samuel, over alleged sporadic shooting during a confrontation with traders at Kubwa Market in Abuja.
The corps also ordered an Orderly Room Trial to determine the officer’s culpability in the incident, which occurred on October 25, 2026.
Samuel’s suspension followed his arrest by the Federal Capital Territory Police Command over allegations that he fired shots into the air during a dispute with traders at the market.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the NSCDC’s National Public Relations Officer, Babawale Afolabi, said the officer’s alleged conduct violated the corps’ rules of engagement and standard operating procedures.
According to the statement, the Commandant-General of the corps, Ahmed Abubakar Audi, directed the officer’s immediate suspension and the commencement of disciplinary proceedings.
Audi, the statement added, maintained that the corps had zero tolerance for the misuse of firearms and other forms of professional misconduct.
The NSCDC said Samuel had been stripped of his official responsibilities and relieved of his assignment pending the conclusion of the disciplinary process.
It added that a committee at the corps’ national headquarters in Abuja would handle the matter, assuring that the outcome of the Orderly Room Trial and internal disciplinary proceedings would be made public upon conclusion.
The corps reiterated its commitment to protecting lives, maintaining professional standards and ensuring public safety, stressing that no officer would be shielded from accountability for actions that violated operational guidelines.
Earlier, the FCT Police Command confirmed Samuel’s arrest following a distress call reporting that an armed man was firing shots into the air at Kubwa Market.
The police spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, said the officer had reportedly gone to the market with a pistol following allegations that some traders had assaulted his wife.
Police operatives attached to the Kubwa Division were subsequently deployed to the scene, where they disarmed and arrested the suspect.
The circumstances surrounding the incident are expected to be further examined during the NSCDC’s disciplinary proceedings.
