‎Police arrest 12 suspects over Arise TV anchor’s death

‎The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has arrested 12 suspected armed robbers in connection with the violent robbery that led to the deaths of Arise TV journalist Somtochukwu Christella Maduagwu and a security guard, Barnabas Danlami, at the Unique Apartment in Gishiri village, Katampe District, Abuja.
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‎The arrest followed a directive by the FCT Commissioner of Police, Ajao Adewale, to track down those responsible for the deadly robbery which occurred on September 29, 2025, at about 03:30am.
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‎According to an official intelligence report titled “ARREST OF THE NOTORIOUS ARMED ROBBERS INVOLVED IN THE ROBBERY THAT LED TO THE DEATH OF ARISE NEWS STAFF SOMTOCHUKWU CHRISTELLA MADUAGWU AND THE SECURITY MAN GUARDING UNIQUE APARTMENT, BARNABAS DANLAMI” and dated 09/10/2025, the arrests were made by operatives of the Scorpion Squad, led by ACP Victor Godfrey.
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‎Eyewitness accounts stated that 14 armed robbers attacked and invaded the building at night, shooting a security guard before gaining access to the compound.
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‎In a desperate attempt to escape, Maduagwu reportedly jumped from her third-floor apartment and later died from her injuries at the Maitama District Hospital.
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‎The police report stated that the breakthrough followed “actionable digital and reconstructive intelligence provided by Giga Forensics, a subsidiary of EIB STRATOC,” which enabled detectives to locate and apprehend the gang members linked to the attack.
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‎Giving details of the operation, the report read, “Shortly after the robbery incident that took place 29/09/2025 at about 0330hrs at the Unique Apartment, Katampe District, Mabushi, which tragically led to the deaths of Somtochukwu Christella Maduagwu and Barnabas Danlami, four of the suspects, Shamsudeen Hassan, Alkamu, Sirajo, and one other person were apprehended through the tracking of phones stolen from the apartment during the robbery (tracking and intercept service provided by us).”
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‎The report further stated that during interrogation, the suspects allegedly confessed to their roles in the attack, including the killing of the security guard.
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‎“Shamsudeen Hassan confessed that he shot the security guard when he attempted to prevent them from gaining access to the apartment.
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‎“Sani Sirajo confessed to having tried to hold Somtochukwu Christella Maduagwu from falling off the three-storey building, but was overwhelmed by her weight.
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‎”Shamsudeen further confessed that he drove the white Honda CR-V jeep out of the apartment after the operation. The four suspects admitted that they each received N200,000 from the proceeds of the crime,” the report added.
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‎Security operatives recovered several weapons from the suspects, including “one fabricated AK-47 rifle, 36 rounds of 9mm live ammunition, one locally made pistol, one pump-action gun, two live cartridges, four mobile phones of the victims, two sharp knives, one cutlass, and nine torchlights used during the operation.”
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‎The police also said that in continuation of investigations, the remaining members of the gang, Musa Umar a.k.a. Small, Hassan Isah, and other accomplices involved in the Gishiri robbery were intercepted while en route to an already planned armed robbery operation scheduled to hold at Maitama in the early hours of this morning, Wednesday, October 8, 2025.
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‎The police said the suspects had confessed to the crimes, noting, however, that investigations were ongoing, while the suspects were held in their custody.
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