The Federal Capital Territory ,FCT, Police Command said on Friday that 12 armed robbery gang responsible for the killing of ARISE News anchor, Somtochukwu Maduagwu have been arrested and are now in custody .
It also said that investigation had revealed the suspects sourced their weapons from a supplier in Niger Republic . Police added that the suspects would be charged in the Court as soon as investigations are concluded.
FCT Police Command’s spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, disclosed this in a statement on Friday while announcing the arrest of 12 suspects linked to the September 29, 2025, robbery and murder at Unique Apartments, Katampe Extension, Abuja, where Maduagwu and a security guard, Barnabas Danlami, lost their lives.
Adeh said preliminary investigations showed that the syndicate procured its firearms — including a locally fabricated AK-47 rifle, a pump-action gun, and a pistol — from an arms dealer operating across the Nigeria–Niger border.
“All the suspects are from Kaduna and Katsina States and have confessed to obtaining their weapons from a yet-to-be-identified supplier in Niger Republic,” Adeh further disclosed.
The Police Command said the arrested suspects as Shamsudeen Hassan, Hassan Isah (22), Abubakar Alkamu (27), Sani Sirajo (20), Mashkur Jamilu (28), Suleiman Badamasi (21), Abdulsalam Saleh, Zaharadeen Muhammad (23), Musa Adamu (30), Sumayya Mohammed (27), Isah Abdulrahman (25), and Musa Umar (31).
Adeh also said the suspects confessed to carrying out operations at Katampe 1, a hotel in Apo, and Zuba, before the robbery that claimed the lives of Arise News anchor and the security guard.
“They have also confessed to participating in other armed robbery operations at Katampe 1, a hotel in Apo, and another in Zuba, all within the FCT,” the statement added.
Adeh said further investigations confirmed that Hassan Shamsudeen fired the shot that killed the security guard during the attack.
“Further investigations confirmed that the fatal shot which claimed the life of the security guard, Mr. Barnabas Danlami, was fired by one of the suspects, Shamsudeen Hassan,” she said.
Explaining how the Police came about the suspects arrest, Adeh said the Commissioner of Police, Ajao Adewale, deployed a special investigation team led by DCP Aliyu Abubakar and assisted by ACP Victor Godfrey to track down and dismantle the network following the murder.
“Following the tragic incident, the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, CP Ajao S. Adewale psc. mnips., established a Special Investigation Team led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, State Criminal Investigation Department, DCP Aliyu Abubakar, and assisted by the Commander, Scorpion Squad, ACP Victor Godfrey, with a clear mandate to track down and dismantle the criminal network behind the attack. Leveraging digital reconstructive intelligence and conducting coordinated operations across the FCT, Nasarawa, and Kaduna states, the team successfully apprehended the suspects,” she said.
The police urged residents to remain alert and report suspicious movements through its emergency lines.