The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has disclosed that the armed robbery syndicate responsible for the killing of ARISE News anchor, Somtochukwu Maduagwu, sourced their weapons from a supplier operating across the Nigeria–Niger Republic border.
In a statement released on Friday, the Command’s spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, confirmed 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, were tragically killed.
According to Adeh, preliminary investigations revealed that the gang procured its firearms — including a locally fabricated AK-47 rifle, a pump-action gun, and a pistol — from a yet-to-be-identified arms dealer based in the Niger Republic.
“All the suspects are from Kaduna and Katsina States and have confessed to obtaining their weapons from a supplier in Niger Republic,” Adeh stated.
The police identified the 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).
The suspects confessed to carrying out several armed robbery operations across Katampe 1, Apo, and Zuba prior to the attack that claimed the lives of Maduagwu and Danlami. Further investigation confirmed that Hassan Shamsudeen fired the fatal shot that killed the security guard during the incident.
Following the murder, the Commissioner of Police, CP Ajao S. Adewale, deployed a Special Investigation Team led by DCP Aliyu Abubakar and ACP Victor Godfrey to track and dismantle the syndicate. Through digital reconstructive intelligence and coordinated raids across FCT, Nasarawa, and Kaduna States, the suspects were successfully apprehended.
The police urged residents to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities via the Command’s emergency lines.
Nigeria continues to grapple with the influx of illicit small arms and light weapons from neighbouring countries — particularly Niger, Chad, and Cameroon. According to the United Nations (2016), about 350 million of the 500 million illicit weapons in West Africa are believed to be in circulation within Nigeria — representing nearly 70 percent of the regional total.
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