Cotabato City — Two men were shot dead in broad daylight in what authorities suspect to be a drug-related killing in Barangay Bagua 1 on Saturday, July 26, 2025.
The victims were identified as Aminudin Mohammad, 33, a construction worker, and his 25-year-old cousin Hassanul Ibrahim, both residents of Cotabato City. According to initial reports from the Cotabato City Police Office, the two were gunned down around 3:30 p.m. in Purok Mabagel, Sitio Pagalungan.
Police said unidentified assailants used a .45 caliber pistol in the attack. Both victims sustained fatal gunshot wounds and were declared dead on the spot.
Responding officers reportedly recovered drug paraphernalia and sachets suspected to contain shabu from the victims’ clothing and at the crime scene. Authorities are now considering illegal drugs as a possible motive behind the killing.
However, family members of the victims strongly denied that the two were involved in illegal drugs, insisting they were not users and had no prior records.
The Cotabato City Police Office has yet to release a full report as the investigation remains ongoing. Authorities are pursuing leads to identify the perpetrators and determine the exact circumstances surrounding the attack.
Cotabato City, the regional capital of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), has seen a spate of violent incidents in recent months, prompting calls for heightened security and intensified crime prevention efforts.