The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arrested 12 suspected armed robbers linked to the gruesome killing of Arise TV staff member, Ms. Somtochukwu Christella Maduagwu, and a security guard, Mr. Barnabas Danlami, during a violent robbery attack at Unique Apartment, Gishiri Village, Katampe District, Abuja.
The breakthrough followed President Bola Tinubu’s directive to security agencies to hunt down the perpetrators.
According to counterinsurgency expert Zagazola Makama, the suspects were tracked and arrested by operatives of the Scorpion Squad, led by ACP Victor O. Godfrey, through advanced digital and reconstructive intelligence.
The deadly robbery occurred on September 29, 2025, around 3:30 a.m., leaving both victims dead at the scene.
Those arrested include Shamsudeen Hassan (Malumfashi, Katsina), Hassan Isah, 22 (Zaria, Kaduna), Abubakar Alkamu, 27 (Musawa, Katsina), Sani Sirajo, 20 (Malumfashi, Katsina), Mashkur Jamili, 28 (Igabi, Kaduna), Suleiman Badamasi, 21 (Malumfashi, Katsina), Abdulsalam Saleh (Katsina), Zaharadeen Muhammad, 23 (Chikun, Kaduna), Musa Adamu, 30 (Malumfashi, Katsina), Sumayya Mohammed, 27 (Sammaka, Kaduna), Isah Abdulrahman, 25 (Zaria, Kaduna), and Musa Umar, 31 (Maiduguri, Borno).
Police sources said four of the suspects — Shamsudeen, Hassan, Alkamu, and Sirajo — were first apprehended shortly after the incident. They reportedly confessed to their involvement.
Shamsudeen allegedly shot the security guard, while Sirajo claimed he tried to hold Maduagwu as she fell from the third floor during the chaos. The gang also made away with the victims’ white Honda CR-V, which Shamsudeen confessed to driving off.
Each suspect allegedly received ₦200,000 from the robbery proceeds.
Recovered items include a fabricated AK-47 rifle, 36 live rounds, a locally-made pistol, a 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 members of the gang, including Musa Umar and Hassan Isah, while plotting another operation in Maitama.
The FCT Commissioner of Police lauded the Scorpion Squad for their swift response and assured residents that the Command remains resolute in its crackdown on violent crime across the capital.
