The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has suspended Deputy Superintendent of Corps Onoja Babayo Samuel for shooting sporadically during a confrontation with traders at Kubwa Market, Abuja.
The corps also convened an Orderly Room Trial to establish the officer’s culpability in the incident, which took place on October 25, 2026.
The suspension came after the officer was arrested by the Federal Capital Territory Police Command for allegedly firing shots into the air during a confrontation with traders.
In a statement issued on Thursday by its National Public Relations Officer, Babawale Afolabi, the NSCDC said the officer’s conduct constituted a gross violation of the corps’ rules of engagement and standard operating procedures.
The Commandant-General of the corps, Ahmed Audi, was quoted as ordering the officer’s immediate suspension and the start of disciplinary proceedings.
“The Commandant General of the NSCDC, Prof. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, who maintains zero tolerance for misuse of firearms or any form of professional misconduct, has therefore directed an immediate suspension of the personnel and Orderly Room Trial to determine his level of culpability in the alleged offense,” the statement read.
The corps stated that Samuel had been relieved of his official duties and removed from his assignment until the disciplinary proceedings were concluded.
It further noted that a committee at its national headquarters in Abuja would oversee the matter and that the results of the Orderly Room Trial and the internal disciplinary process would be disclosed to the public once completed.
The NSCDC restated its dedication to safeguarding lives and upholding professional standards, cautioning that it would neither tolerate nor protect any officer whose conduct put public safety at risk or breached operational guidelines.
The FCT Police Command had said earlier that the officer was arrested following a distress call reporting that an armed man was firing shots into the air at a market in Kubwa.
The police spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, said the suspect had gone to the market armed with a pistol after reports that some traders had assaulted his wife.
Officers from the Kubwa Division were sent to the scene, where they disarmed and arrested him.
