NSCDC Suspends Officer for Shooting at Abuja Market

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has suspended Deputy Superintendent of Corps, Onoja Babayo Samuel, due to his alleged involvement in a shooting incident at Kubwa Market, Abuja, on October 25, 2026. Following his arrest by the Federal Capital Territory Police Command for reportedly firing shots into the air during a confrontation with traders, the NSCDC initiated an Orderly Room Trial to assess his culpability.

The corps, through its National Public Relations Officer, Babawale Afolabi, stated that Samuel's actions constituted a serious breach of the corps' rules of engagement and standard operating procedures. Commandant-General Ahmed Abubakar Audi ordered the immediate suspension and the commencement of disciplinary proceedings, emphasizing a zero-tolerance policy for misuse of firearms.

Samuel has been stripped of his official duties pending the trial's outcome, which will be managed by a committee at the NSCDC's national headquarters in Abuja. The police had responded to a distress call regarding an armed individual at the market, where they disarmed and arrested Samuel.