The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has apprehended twelve suspects connected to the armed robbery and murder of Arise News journalist Somtochukwu Christella Maduagwu and a security guard, Barnabas Danlami, at Unique Apartment, Gishiri Village, in Abuja’s Katampe District.
The arrests followed a directive from the FCT Commissioner of Police ordering a full-scale manhunt for the perpetrators of the September 29, 2025 attack, which occurred around 3:30 a.m.
According to a report from the EIB Strategic Intelligence Unit, operatives of the Scorpion Squad, led by ACP Victor Godfrey, relied on actionable digital and reconstructive intelligence provided by Giga Forensics, a subsidiary of EIB STRATOC, to track down the suspects.
The twelve suspects arrested include Shamsudeen Hassan, Hassan Isah, Abubakar Alkamu, Sani Sirajo, Mashkur Jamilu, Suleiman Badamasi, Abdul Salam Saleh, Zaharadeen Muhammad, Musa Adamu, Sumayya Mohammed, Isah Abdulrahman, and Musa Umar, all reportedly from Katsina, Kaduna, and Borno States.
Police sources revealed that the first four suspects—Hassan, Alkamu, Sirajo, and one other—were initially apprehended after detectives traced mobile phones stolen from the crime scene. During interrogation, Hassan allegedly confessed to shooting the security guard, while Sirajo claimed he attempted to stop Maduagwu from falling from the building but was overpowered.
Recovered items from the gang include a fabricated AK-47 rifle, a locally made pistol, a pump-action gun, 36 rounds of live ammunition, two cartridges, four stolen mobile phones, and several sharp weapons and torchlights used in the robbery.
Further intelligence led to the arrest of the remaining gang members on October 8, 2025, while they were allegedly en route to another planned robbery operation in Maitama.
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Police say all suspects have confessed to their involvement and remain in custody as investigations continue. Photos of the suspects, however, are being withheld pending the arrest of other fleeing members of the gang.
