Four years after the gruesome killing of singer Samson Anpe, popularly known as Chop Boii, and three other persons in an apartment in Abuja, the circumstances surrounding their deaths remain shrouded in mystery.
What should have been an ordinary gathering of friends in a residential apartment in Gwarimpa, Abuja, ended in a horrifying tragedy that left four young people dead and their families devastated.
The victims, including a budding musician, his producer, a friend and a young university student, were reportedly attacked and brutally murdered inside the apartment.
Their bodies reportedly bore disturbing injuries, while blood was found splattered around the apartment.
Their deaths shocked residents of the neighbourhood and sent waves of grief through their families, friends and acquaintances.
A childhood friend of the late musician, Fiamarri Zoaka, describe the lingering pain of losing someone with whom he shared nearly two decades of friendship.
In an interview with Saturday , Zoaka lamented the lack of updates from the police, saying he remained hopeful justice would eventually be served.
“There is no update, and that is the very sad part. There are no updates. This kind of thing, if you watch all these crime shows, it takes a while.
“One day, somebody will just speak about it, or karma will catch up, or guilt will creep in, and then the person will confess what he or she did. I believe justice will be done eventually. Delay is not denial,” he said.
Zoaka said, “I miss Chop Boii every day because we were roommates in university. It goes that far back. That is almost 20 years ago.”
Zoaka said he was among those who went to the residence after receiving information that Chop Boii might be there.
He also recalled being asked to rush to the apartment while some people were with the police preparing to force the door open.
What followed, he said, remained one of the most traumatic experiences of his life.
“That is one of the most gruesome things that have ever happened in my life. I don’t think any officer who was at that crime scene would be able to rest or forget that kind of thing.
“It’s not even something you watch in a film and expect to experience in reality. But that was the reality. It was heartbreaking. That is the worst thing that has happened in my life, and I would not wish even my enemies to witness such a situation,” he said.
Zoaka, who said he eventually identified the bodies, added that he also made a statement to the police as part of the investigation.
‘We still don’t know what happened’
Despite the passage of time, Zoaka said he was still unable to establish what happened inside the apartment or the motive behind the killings.
Zoaka said he had not received any further invitation from the police since making his statement, although he acknowledged that he was not a member of the victims’ immediate families.
He, however, expressed concern that the families might not have received any meaningful feedback on the investigation.
“I was basically his best friend, and I was among the few people who saw him a day or two before it happened. I was the one who eventually went to identify the bodies. I also wrote a statement.
“I’m a friend and an extension of the family. I’m not an immediate family member or related to them by blood. But I have not heard that the families have been contacted with updates. If they had, I would have at least been aware. But nothing for now,” he said.
The absence of information has also left the families struggling with the loss, particularly Chop Boii’s parents, who, according to Zoaka, lost their only son.
He said he remained in touch with the family but found it increasingly difficult to communicate with them because of the emotional weight of the tragedy.
“I still talk with his family. It has not been the same, to be honest, because the pain is still too fresh. And when I try to talk or reach out, I just feel a lot of pain.
“He was the only son of the family. He was the only son of his father and mother,” Zoaka said.
He cautioned against relying on speculation circulating on social media, insisting that only the police could establish the facts through a proper investigation.
According to him, some of the narratives surrounding the incident were inaccurate, including claims about the singer’s movements and the circumstances that led to his death.
“What we know is all speculation, but it is not true. Chop Boii was not with the person people are claiming. I know who he was with, and that was his girlfriend.
“That thing that was written on the wall might have been a misdirection for what really happened. Nobody knows what really happened. Even I myself, I don’t know what happened till now. I have no idea.
“The kind of gist we have heard, but this is Nigeria, and social media or Nigerians can sometimes talk carelessly. They can just say anything to generate reactions and impressions.
“So, I can’t say anything I do not know for certain. If the police are the ones supposed to investigate and probably give us the conclusions or reports as the investigation progresses, we have nothing to say,” Zoaka added.
A music career cut short
Beyond the circumstances of his death, Zoaka believes Chop Boii’s killing robbed the Nigerian music industry of a promising talent whose career was beginning to take shape.
He said he believed his late friend had the potential to achieve that ambition.
“That would have been the goal. He had done some songs that I believe were going to penetrate the industry,” he said.
Some of Chop Boii’s recorded works remain available on Apple Music, including Money (Vibes on Vibes), released in 2022, Papito (2021), Don’t Call My Phone, featuring Chop Boii (2019), and Press Rewind.
Zoaka admitted that some of the singer’s other friends have decided to preserve his musical legacy to keep his memory alive.
He disclosed that he and a few friends had been discussing plans to release some of the songs Chop Boii was unable to put out before his death.
The proposed release, he said, would also provide an opportunity to support the late singer’s family.
“Eventually, next year will be the fifth year since he was murdered. A couple of friends and I have been discussing how to release some of the music he couldn’t release while he was alive and try to use that to support his family,” he said.
The plan reflects the unfinished ambitions of a musician whose life was cut short before he could fully explore his potential.
‘Police detained occupants’
A resident whose house was close to the scene, and who was in the area when the incident happened, told Saturday that the police took away the occupants of the building where Chop Boii and others were killed. They were later released.
The resident, who identified himself only as Paul, said the occupants returned to collect their belongings and left, adding that the house was then sealed for one year.
“To be honest, as the incident happened close to my house, I swear I have not heard any news about the matter since then.
“The police first took away everyone occupying the house. They were later released; they came to pick up their belongings and left. The house was later sealed for one year, “ he said.
Paul said after the house was unsealed, it was rented out to new tenants.
“The people occupying the house now are a new set of people. I don’t know how they can live there,” he added.
Police mum
When the incident was first reported in September 2022, the FCT Police Command described it as a case of suspected culpable homicide and said investigations had commenced.
The FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Josephine Adeh, said the wife of one of the deceased, identified as Queen Jack, had earlier reported that her husband left home with a friend but could not be reached despite repeated attempts.
According to the police, detectives attached to the Gwarimpa division were deployed to the residence, where the husband and three other persons were found dead.
Adeh said the bodies were taken to a hospital for medical attention but were confirmed dead by a doctor on duty before being deposited at the Kubwa General Hospital morgue.
She had assured the public that discreet investigations had commenced and those further developments would be communicated.
However, years after that assurance, the families and friends are still waiting for answers.
When contacted for an update on the investigation, Adeh claimed not to be aware of the case but promised to make inquiries.
“I will find out because I am not aware of this,” she told our correspondent.
She had yet to provide further information as of the time of filing this report.