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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.
According to a report by counterinsurgency expert Zagazola Makama, the suspects were arrested by operatives of the Scorpion Squad, led by ACP Victor O. Godfrey, after being tracked through digital and reconstructive intelligence.
The incident occurred on September 29, 2025, at about 3:30 am, when the victims were murdered during a robbery at their residence.
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The suspects were identified as Shamsudeen Hassan (Malumfashi, Katsina State), Hassan Isah, 22 (Zaria, Kaduna State), Abubakar Alkamu, 27 (Musawa, Katsina State), Sani Sirajo, 20 (Malumfashi, Katsina State), Mashkur Jamili, 28 (Igabi, Kaduna State), Suleiman Badamasi, 21 (Malumfashi, Katsina State), Abdulsalam Saleh (Katsina LGA, Katsina State), Zaharadeen Muhammad, 23 (Chikun, Kaduna State), Musa Adamu, 30 (Malumfashi, Katsina State), Sumayya Mohammed, 27 (Sammaka, Kaduna State), Isah Abdulrahman, 25 (Zaria, Kaduna State), and Musa Umar, 31 (Maiduguri, Borno State).
Police sources said four suspects — Shamsudeen, Hassan, Alkamu, and Sirajo — were first apprehended shortly after the incident and confessed to their roles.
Shamsudeen reportedly admitted to shooting the security guard, while Sirajo claimed he tried to hold Maduagwu as she fell from the third floor.
Shamsudeen also confessed to driving away the victims’ white Honda CR-V after the operation. The suspects allegedly shared N200,000 each from the proceeds of the robbery.
Recovered items from the gang included one fabricated AK-47 rifle, 36 rounds of live ammunition, one locally-made pistol, one pump-action gun, two cartridges, four mobile phones, two knives, a cutlass, and nine torchlights.
Further arrests were made on October 8, 2025, when operatives intercepted three gang members, including Musa Umar and Hassan Isah, while planning another robbery in Maitama.
The police said all 12 suspects are in custody and have confessed to the crimes.
The FCT Commissioner of Police commended the Scorpion Squad for their swift action and assured residents that the Command would sustain its operations against violent crime in the territory.
