The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has arrested 12 suspected armed robbers connected to the murder of Arise News staff member, Somtochukwu Christella Maduagwu, and a security guard, Barnabas Danlami, during a robbery attack in Abuja. Arise TV recently revealed that the arrests followed an operation led by the Scorpion Squad under the FCT Command, based on intelligence provided by a forensics firm, Giga Forensics, a subsidiary of EIB STRATOC.
The TV station said that the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, ordered an immediate investigation and capture of the suspects after the September 29, 2025, attack at Unique Apartment in Gishiri Village, Katampe District, which happened around 3:30 a.m.
According to a press statement by Arise TV, operatives of the Scorpion Squad, led by ACP Victor Godfrey, arrested the suspects after actionable digital and reconstructive intelligence provided by Giga Forensics, a subsidiary of EIB STRATOC.
The statement confirmed that 12 suspects were apprehended in connection with the tragic incident.
They include Shamsudeen Hassan, Hassan Isah, Abubakar Alkamu (also known as Abba), Sani Sirajo (also known as Dan Borume), Mashkur Jamilu, Suleiman Badamasi (also known as Dan-Sule), Abdul Salam Saleh, Zaharadeen Muhammad, Musa Adamu, Sumayya Mohammed, Isah Abdulrahman, and Musa Umar.
“It is important to note that shortly after the robbery incident that took place 29/09/2025 at about 0330hrs at unique apartment, Katampe district, Mabushi, which tragically led to the deaths of Somtochukwu Christella Maduagwu and Barnabas Danlami, four (4) of the suspects, Shamsudeen Hassan, Alkamu, Sirajo and one other person were apprehended through the tracking of phones stollen from the apartment during the robbery (Tracking and intercept service provided by us),” it read.
Shamsudeen Hassan, during interrogation, confirmed that he shot the security guard as he tried to gain entry, while Sani Sirajo disclosed that he attempted to prevent late Somtochukwu Maduagwu from falling off the building during the attack.
The items retrieved from the suspects were a fabricated AK-47 rifle, 36 rounds of live ammunition, a locally made pistol, a pump-action gun, two cartridges, four mobile phones belonging to the victims, knives, a cutlass, and nine torchlights.
Confirming that the suspects confessed to their crime during the investigation, the police added that the remaining gang members were intercepted on Wednesday while allegedly heading for another planned robbery in Maitama, Abuja.
Folami David is a dynamic journalist who views the world through an analytical lens, translating complex narratives across multiple industries into compelling stories. With an insatiable appetite for information and a keen eye for emerging trends, Folami specializes in uncovering the interconnections between technology, business, culture, and society.
