12-man gang behind death of Arise News anchor Somtochukwu arrested – Police
By Jeffrey Agbo
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has confirmed the arrest of 12 suspected armed robbers believed to be responsible for the violent attack that led to the deaths of Arise News staff, Somtochukwu Christella Maduagwu, and a security guard, Barnabas Danlami, at Unique Apartment, Gishiri Village, Katampe District, Abuja.
According to the police, operatives of the Scorpion Squad, led by ACP Victor Godfrey, made the arrests following actionable digital and reconstructive intelligence provided by Giga Forensics, a subsidiary of EIB Stratoc.
The suspects were identified as Shamsudeen Hassan from Malumfashi LGA, Katsina State; Hassan Isah, 22, from Zaria, Kaduna State; Abubakar Alkamu alias Abba, 27, from Musawa LGA, Katsina State; Sani Sirajo alias Dan Borume, 20, from Malumfashi, Katsina State; Mashkur Jamilu alias Abba, 28, from Igabi, Kaduna State; and Suleiman Badamasi alias Dan-Sule, 21, from Malumfashi, Katsina State.
Others include Abdul Salam Saleh alias Na-durudu from Katsina LGA, Katsina State; Zaharadeen Muhammad alias Gwaska, 23, from Chikun LGA, Kaduna State; Musa Adamu alias Musa Hassan, 30, from Malumfashi, Katsina State; Sumayya Mohammed alias Baby, 27, from Saminaka, Kaduna State; Isah Abdulrahman alias Abbati, 25, from Zaria, Kaduna State; and Musa Umar alias Small, 31, from Maiduguri, Borno State.
Police said the robbery took place on September 29, 2025, around 3:30 a.m., when the gang stormed the apartment complex.
During interrogation, Shamsudeen Hassan was said to have confessed to shooting the security guard, Barnabas Danlami, after he tried to stop the robbers from entering the building. Police said another suspect, Sani Sirajo, admitted that he attempted to hold Maduagwu from falling off the three-storey building but couldn’t because of her weight.
Hassan also revealed that he drove away in the white Honda CR-V stolen from the apartment after the operation. The suspects reportedly shared ₦200,000 each from the proceeds of the crime.
Recovered items include a fabricated AK-47 rifle, 36 live rounds of ammunition, one pump-action gun, one locally made pistol, two live cartridges, four mobile phones belonging to the victims, two knives, a cutlass, and nine torchlights used during the robbery.
Police explained that four suspects, including Hassan, Alkamu, and Sirajo, were first arrested after investigators tracked the victims’ stolen phones. Acting on further digital intelligence, operatives intercepted the remaining suspects on October 8, 2025, while they were allegedly heading for another robbery in Maitama, Abuja.
Efforts are ongoing to arrest other fleeing members of the gang, the police said.
 Police Command has confirmed the arrest of 12 suspected armed robbers believed to be responsible for the violent attack that led to the deaths of Arise News staff, Somtochukwu Christella Maduagwu, and a security guard, Barnabas Danlami, at Unique Apartment, Gishiri Village, Katampe District, Abuja.){kind=link}