The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arraigned 11 suspects in connection with the killing of Arise News journalist, Somtochukwu Maduagwu, and a security guard, Barnabas Danlami, during a violent robbery at Unique Apartments, Katampe Extension, Abuja, on September 29, 2025.
The suspects are facing a nine-count charge bordering on criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, and murder, arising from the attack, which occurred at about 3:30 a.m., when armed men allegedly moved from flat to flat, dispossessing residents of their valuables.
FCT Commissioner of Police, Ajao Adewale, said officers responded after receiving a distress call from the area.
“Policemen moved to the scene and found her lying unconscious. She was immediately taken to Maitama General Hospital, where doctors tried to resuscitate her using CPR, but sadly, she did not make it,” Adewale said.
Police investigations revealed that Maduagwu, in a desperate bid to escape the attackers, jumped from the third floor of her apartment building. Danlami, who was on duty as a security guard, was shot during the attack, allegedly by one of the suspects identified as Shamsudeen Hassan.
During the operation, police recovered a locally fabricated AK-47 rifle, a pump-action gun, a pistol, 36 rounds of live ammunition, two cartridges, knives, a cutlass, four mobile phones belonging to the victims, and nine torchlights.
Police spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, said the suspects, all natives of Kaduna and Katsina states, were arrested through coordinated operations across the FCT, Nasarawa, and Kaduna states, led by a Special Investigation Team under the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID).
She said investigators employed digital reconstructive intelligence to trace the gang, which had also carried out robberies in Katampe I, Apo, and Zuba.
“Preliminary investigations indicate that the gang obtained their firearms from an as-yet-unidentified supplier in the Niger Republic,” Adeh said, adding that the arms dealer operates across the Nigeria-Niger border.
Those arraigned include Shamsu Hassan, Sani Sirajo, Hassan Isah, Abubakar Alkamu, Abdulsalam Saleh, Suleiman Badamasi, Zaharadeen Mohammed, Musa Umar (aka ‘Small’), Mashkur Jamil, Suleiman Sani, and Abubakar Usman. Police noted that earlier statements mentioned additional suspects, Sumayya Mohammed (aka ‘Baby’), Isah Abdulrahman (aka ‘Abbati’), and Musa Adamu (aka ‘Musa Hassan’), suggesting that investigations are ongoing and more arrests may follow.
The matter has been adjourned to February 2026 for further proceedings.
Meanwhile, police urged residents of the FCT to remain vigilant and report suspicious movements through emergency lines, assuring the public of their commitment to justice and public safety.
