The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has confirmed the arrest of 12 suspected armed robbers linked to the attack that claimed the lives of Arise News staff member, Somtochukwu Christella Maduagwu, and a security guard, Barnabas Danlami, at Unique Apartment, Gishiri Village, Katampe District, Abuja.
The arrests were carried out by operatives of the Scorpion Squad, led by ACP Victor Godfrey, following actionable digital and reconstructive intelligence provided by Giga Forensics, a subsidiary of EIB Stratoc.
The suspects were identified as:
Shamsudeen Hassan (Malumfashi LGA, Katsina State), Hassan Isah, 22 (Zaria, Kaduna State), Abubakar Alkamu alias Abba, 27 (Musawa LGA, Katsina State), Sani Sirajo alias Dan Borume, 20 (Malumfashi LGA, Katsina State), Mashkur Jamilu alias Abba, 28 (Igabi LGA, Kaduna State), and Suleiman Badamasi alias Dan-Sule, 21 (Malumfashi LGA, Katsina State).
Others include Abdul Salam Saleh alias Na-durudu (Katsina LGA, Katsina State), Zaharadeen Muhammad alias Gwaska, 23 (Chikun LGA, Kaduna State), Musa Adamu alias Musa Hassan, 30 (Malumfashi LGA, Katsina State), Sumayya Mohammed alias Baby, 27 (Saminaka LGA, Kaduna State), Isah Abdulrahman alias Abbati, 25 (Zaria LGA, Kaduna State), and Musa Umar alias Small, 31 (Maiduguri LGA, Borno State).
According to the police, the robbery occurred on September 29, 2025, at about 3:30 a.m., when the gang invaded the apartment.
During interrogation, one of the suspects, Shamsudeen Hassan, confessed to shooting the security guard, Barnabas Danlami, when he tried to stop them from entering the premises. Another suspect, Sani Sirajo, admitted to attempting to hold Somtochukwu Christella Maduagwu from falling off the three-story building but claimed he couldn’t due to her weight.
Hassan further revealed that he drove the white Honda CR-V out of the apartment after the operation. The suspects confessed to sharing ₦200,000 each from the proceeds of the crime.
Recovered items from the gang include a fabricated AK-47 rifle, 36 rounds of live ammunition, one pump-action gun, one locally made pistol, two live cartridges, four mobile phones belonging to the victims, two knives, a cutlass, and nine torchlights used in the attack.
Police stated that shortly after the robbery, four suspects, including Hassan, Alkamu, and Siraj, were arrested through the tracking of stolen phones. On October 8, 2025, further digital intelligence led to the interception of the remaining suspects while they were en route to another planned armed robbery in Maitama, Abuja.
All suspects have confessed to their roles in the attack, while efforts are ongoing to arrest other fleeing members of the gang.
What you should know
Somtochukwu Christella Maduagwu, a journalist with Arise News, was widely admired for her professionalism and poise on air.
Her tragic death has sparked nationwide outrage, with colleagues, media professionals, and human rights advocates demanding swift prosecution of the perpetrators and stronger security for residents of Abuja’s highbrow districts.
