Police Arrest 12 Suspects in Robbery, Murder of Arise News Staff and Security Guard in Abuja
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arrested twelve suspected armed robbers involved in the violent attack that led to the deaths of Ms. Somtochukwu Christella Maduagwu, a staff member of Arise News, and Mr. Barnabas Danlami, a security guard, at Unique Apartment, Gishiri Village, Katampe District, Abuja.
The tragic incident occurred in the early hours of September 29, 2025, at about 3:30 a.m., when the armed gang invaded the apartment, robbing residents and fatally attacking their victims.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Command confirmed that operatives of the Scorpion Squad, led by ACP Victor Godfrey, acting on digital and reconstructive intelligence provided by Giga Forensics, a subsidiary of EIB STRATOC, tracked and arrested twelve members of the gang.
Those arrested include Shamsudeen Hassan, Hassan Isah, Abubakar Alkamu (a.k.a. Abba), Sani Sirajo (a.k.a. Dan Borume), Mashkur Jamilu, Suleiman Badamasi, Abdul Salam Saleh, Zaharadeen Muhammad, Musa Adamu, Sumayya Mohammed, Isah Abdulrahman, and Musa Umar (a.k.a. Small).
According to the police, four suspects — including Shamsudeen Hassan and Abubakar Alkamu — were initially tracked and arrested through mobile phones stolen from the victims during the robbery.
During interrogation, Hassan allegedly confessed to shooting the security guard, Barnabas Danlami, while Sirajo admitted to struggling to restrain Maduagwu before she fell from the building. The suspects also confessed to selling the victims’ belongings and sharing ₦200,000 each from the proceeds.
Recovered items from the suspects include:
One fabricated AK-47 rifle
Thirty-six rounds of live 9mm ammunition
One locally made pistol
One pump-action gun
Two live cartridges
Four mobile phones belonging to the victims
Two sharp knives
One cutlass
Nine torchlights used during the operation
Further intelligence led to the arrest of the remaining members of the gang on October 8, 2025, while they were allegedly on their way to carry out another robbery operation in Maitama, Abuja.
The police noted that all suspects have confessed to their involvement in the crimes, and investigations are ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the gang.
Recovered exhibits and a video of the recovery of one of the AK-47 rifles at Zuma Rock have been documented as part of the ongoing investigation.
