The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has paraded three suspects arrested in connection with the murder of Liberty Radio staff member, Azubuko Nwakama, popularly known as Joel Waksi.
Nwakama was attacked, robbed, and killed at Panteka Market in the Mpape area of Abuja on June 14, 2024.
According to a statement released on Sunday by the FCT Police Command’s spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, the suspects—Mutari Lawal, 32, from Kano State; Dan’Asabe Ibrahim, 22, from Zamfara State; and Danjuma Ibrahim, 18, with no fixed address—were tracked down after more than a year of investigation.
Adeh explained that the turning point in the case came on August 2, 2025, when a mobile phone stolen from the victim—a Redmi 13C—was switched on and traced to Lawal, who was subsequently arrested.
“Operatives of the FCT Police Command attached to the Mpape Division arrested three suspects in connection with the murder of Mr. Azubuko Nwakama, who was attacked and robbed on June 14, 2024, at Panteka Market, Mpape,” the statement read.
She added that although investigators made early efforts to track the stolen phone, it remained switched off for over a year, delaying progress in the case. However, investigators continued to monitor digital traces linked to the device.
During interrogation, Lawal confessed to the crime, admitting that he stabbed the victim during the robbery before fleeing with his phone and other valuables. He revealed that he had taken the phone to Kano, where he kept it powered off for over a year. On August 2, 2025, he turned it back on in an attempt to erase its data and reuse it, leading to his arrest.
Lawal also named his accomplices—Dan’Asabe Ibrahim and Danjuma Ibrahim—as participants in the attack. Both were later apprehended.
The FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Benneth C. Igweh (formerly listed as Ajao Adewale), commended the investigating officers for their dedication and persistence, warning criminal elements in the territory to desist or face the full weight of the law.
