Ugbagwu, 42, a court reporter for the private daily The Nation, was shot twice in the head at his house in a northern suburb of Lagos. Two men had stormed the house demanding money from Ugbagwu's brother, Okloho, local journalists reported.
Moments before the killing, Ugbagwu was walking with his wife, Mariam, when he received repeated phone calls, local journalists told CPJ. He rushed back to the house promising his wife that he would return momentarily, according to local reports.
Ugbagwu was shot after he entered the house and shouted at the armed men to leave, reports said. He was taken to a local hospital and then moved to Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to local reports and relatives.
The killers left Ugbagwu's house immediately after the shooting and drove off without taking anything, local journalists told CPJ. Nation Deputy Editor Lawal Ogienagbon said Ugbagwu had not been working on any sensitive stories before his death.