The Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Police Command has arrested 12 suspected armed robbers linked to the killing of an Arise TV staff member, Ms. Somtochukwu Christella Maduagwu, and a security guard, Mr. Barnabas Danlami, during a robbery attack at Unique Apartment, Gishiri Village, Katampe District, Abuja.
The arrests followed President Bola Tinubu’s directive to security agencies to apprehend those behind the killings
Recall that the incident occurred at around 3:30 a.m. on September 29, 2025.
Operatives of the Scorpion Squad, led by ACP Victor Godfrey, acting on what the police described as “actionable digital and reconstructive intelligence” provided by Giga Forensics, a subsidiary of EIB STRATOC, swooped on the suspects across different hideouts in the FCT and neighbouring states
The suspects were named as: Shamsudeen Hassan (Malumfashi LGA, Katsina State); Hassan Isah, 22 (Zaria, Kaduna State); Abubakar Alkamu a.k.a. Abba, 27 (Musawa LGA, Katsina State); Sani Sirajo a.k.a. Dan Borume, 20 (Malumfashi LGA, Katsina State); Mashkur Jamilu a.k.a. Abba, 28 (Igabi LGA, Kaduna State); Suleiman Badamasi a.k.a. Dan-Sule, 21 (Malumfashi LGA, Katsina State); Abdul Salam Saleh a.k.a. Na-Durudu (Katsina LGA, Katsina State); Zaharadeen Muhammad a.k.a. Gwaska, 23 (Chikun LGA, Kaduna State); Musa Adamu a.k.a. Musa Hassan, 30 (Malumfashi LGA, Katsina State); Sumayya Mohammed a.k.a. Baby, 27 (Sammaka LGA, Kaduna State); Isah Abdulrahman a.k.a. Abbati, 25 (Zaria LGA, Kaduna State); and Musa Umar a.k.a. Small, 31 (Maiduguri LGA, Borno State).
Investigators disclosed that four suspects, including Hassan and Abubakar Alkamu, were first tracked after using the victims’ stolen phones. During interrogation, Hassan confessed to shooting the security guard, Danlami, when he resisted the gang’s entry into the building.
Sirajo also admitted to struggling with Ms Maduagwu during the chaos, saying he attempted to stop her from falling off the three-storey building but claimed he was “overwhelmed by her weight.”
The police revealed that the gang sold some of the stolen items, with each member reportedly receiving ₦200,000 as their share.
Recovered from the suspects were: one fabricated AK-47 rifle, 36 rounds of 9mm live ammunition, a locally made pistol, a pump-action gun, two live cartridges, four mobile phones belonging to the victims, two sharp knives, a cutlass, and nine torchlights used in the operation.
The command further disclosed that on October 8, operatives intercepted more gang members, including Musa Umar and Hassan Isah, while they were allegedly heading for another planned robbery in Maitama, Abuja.
“All suspects have confessed to the crimes. Investigation is ongoing, and further developments will be communicated,” the police statement added.
