Police arrest 12 suspects over Arise TV anchor’s death
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arrested 12 suspected armed robbers connected to the deaths of Somtochukwu Christella Maduagwu, an Arise News staff member, and Barnabas Danlami, a security guard, during a robbery in Abuja.
According to a statement released by Arise News on Thursday, the arrests were made after a special operation led by the Scorpion Squad of the FCT Command. The operation was based on intelligence provided by Giga Forensics, a subsidiary of EIB STRATOC.
The FCT Commissioner of Police had earlier ordered a manhunt for the suspects following the September 29, 2025 robbery at Unique Apartment, Gishiri Village, Katampe District, which occurred around 3:30 a.m.
A statement from the police said the Scorpion Squad, led by ACP Victor Godfrey, arrested the suspects using digital tracking and forensic intelligence from Giga Forensics.
Those arrested include:
Shamsudeen Hassan, Hassan Isah, Abubakar Alkamu (aka Abba), Sani Sirajo (aka Dan Borume), Mashkur Jamilu, Suleiman Badamasi (aka Dan-Sule), Abdul Salam Saleh, Zaharadeen Muhammad, Musa Adamu, Sumayya Mohammed, Isah Abdulrahman, and Musa Umar.
According to the statement, four of the suspects — Hassan, Alkamu, Sirajo, and another — were first tracked and arrested through phones stolen from the victims’ apartment.
During interrogation, Hassan confessed to shooting the security guard while trying to enter the building, while Sirajo claimed he tried to stop Maduagwu from falling from the third floor during the attack.
Items recovered from the suspects include:
- A fabricated AK-47 rifle
- 36 live rounds of ammunition
- A locally made pistol
- A pump-action gun and two cartridges
- Four mobile phones belonging to the victims
- Knives, a cutlass, and nine torchlights
Police added that the remaining gang members were caught on Wednesday while allegedly heading to another robbery operation in Maitama, Abuja.
The suspects reportedly confessed to the crime, and investigations are ongoing.
Maduagwu, who worked as an anchor and producer with Arise News, tragically died during the robbery at her Gishiri apartment. Initial reports claimed she was shot, but police later confirmed that she fell from the third floor while trying to escape the intruders.
