The trials of 11 defendants accused of involvement in the death of Arise News anchor, Somtochukwu Maduagwu, were stalled on Monday at the High Court in Jabi, Abuja, following their absence in the court.

Consequently, the trial judge, Justice Mohammed Idris, adjourned the matter until February 10 and urged the witnesses to return to court on that day for the trial.

The Commissioner of Police had charged Shamsu Hassan, Sani Surajo, Hassan Isah, Abubakar Alkamu and Abdulsalam Saleh with nine counts bordering on armed robbery and culpable homicide punishable by death.

Others charged were Suleiman Badamosi, Zaradeen Mohammed, Musa Umar, Mashikur Jamil, Suleiman Sani, and Abubakar Usman.

The prosecution counsel, Adama Musa, told the court that the defendants were not produced because the correctional facility officers claimed they were unaware of the hearing date.

On the part of the prosecution, we are in court with four witnesses who we went the extra mile to ensure are present, they abandoned their offices and are in court today,” Musa said.

The prosecution alleged that the defendants, armed with firearms, machetes, knives and charms, broke into Unique Apartment, Katampe, Abuja, on September 29, 2025.

MAGISTRATE courts in Cross River State are going on an indefinite strike over unresolved welfare and service-condition issues.

The industrial action was announced in Bulletin No. 3 dated February 9, 2026, issued by the Magistrates Association of Nigeria (MAN).

The bulletin, signed by the association’s Chairman, His Worship Godwin O. Onah, and Secretary, Solomon O. Abuo, instructed magistrates to abstain from all official duties, including court sittings, until further notice.

According to the association, the strike followed the state government’s failure to address an eight-point demand submitted after a general meeting held on November 5, 2024.

The demands include the implementation of pending promotions; payment of arrears of financial benefits; provision of monthly imprest and robing allowance; settlement of salary arrears owed to the 2019 batch of magistrates; provision of official accommodation and vehicles; and renovation of magistrate courts across the state.

The association said that it had made several attempts to resolve the issues through dialogue, including a letter to the governor dated November 11, 2024, which extended an earlier strike notice, as well as subsequent bulletins issued in November and December 2024 announcing warning and indefinite strike actions.

According to MAN, its most recent appeal was contained in a letter dated February 2, 2026, but the state government failed to respond.

• LASTMA officers at the scene of the LASUTH Bride accident, Monday February 9, 2026.

The Special Adviser to the Governor of Lagos State on Transportation, Hon. Sola Giwa, has cautioned cyclists and commercial motorcyclists to exercise greater care on Lagos roads, urging them to prioritise their safety at all times.

Honourable Giwa made the call today following the unfortunate death of a cyclist who lost his life in a road traffic accident under the LASUTH Bridge at the traffic light corridor inward Airport Road, Ikeja.

The yet-to-be-identified cyclist is reported to have been in a collision with a DAF articulated truck.

“The cyclist was reportedly unable to maintain a safe clearance from the moving truck.

Within a matter of moments, the situation escalated disastrously, resulting in the cyclist being violently crushed and succumbing to fatal injuries on the spot, ” said the spokesperson of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Adebayo Taofiq.

Reacting to the tragedy, Hon Giwa emphasised that cyclists must obey traffic regulations and avoid expressways, highways and other major roads where the risk of accidents is high.

“The Lagos State Government has over time, sustained intensive sensitisation initiatives through public jingles and documentary campaigns aimed at enlightening cyclists and other vulnerable road users on the necessity of confining their movements to inner roads, away from highways and high-risk corridors. This safety directive equally applies to skateboard users and other non-motorised conveyances.”