The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arraigned 11 individuals in connection with the killing of Arise News journalist Somtochukwu Maduagwu and security guard Barnabas Danlami, following a robbery at Unique Apartments in Katampe Extension, Abuja, on 29 September 2025.
The suspects face a nine-count charge including criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, and murder.
The incident, which occurred around 3:30 am, involved armed men moving from flat to flat, robbing residents and fatally injuring Maduagwu and Danlami. According to FCT Commissioner of Police Ajao Adewale, “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 could not make it.”
He later described the attack as “cruel and senseless,” adding that such violence “has no place in a sane society.”
During the investigation, it emerged that Maduagwu had jumped from the third floor of her building in an attempt to escape the attackers.
Danlami was shot by one of the suspects, identified as Shamsudeen Hassan.
The 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.
The suspects, all natives of Kaduna and Katsina states, were apprehended through coordinated operations across the FCT, Nasarawa, and Kaduna, led by a Special Investigation Team under the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID). The team employed digital reconstructive intelligence to track the gang, which had also carried out robberies in Katampe 1, Apo, and Zuba.
Police spokesperson SP Josephine Adeh stated that the gang sourced its weapons from an arms dealer operating across the Nigeria–Niger border. “Preliminary investigations indicated the gang obtained their firearms from an as-yet-unidentified supplier in the Niger Republic,” she said.
Among those arraigned were 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. An earlier statement had listed twelve suspects, including Sumayya Mohammed (aka “Baby”), Isah Abdulrahman (aka “Abbati”), and Musa Adamu (aka “Musa Hassan”), suggesting ongoing investigations may lead to further legal action.
Arise Television described Maduagwu as “delectable, intelligent, and bold,” noting her advocacy for out-of-school children and her work against sexual and gender-based violence. She joined the station in September 2024 after representing Nigeria at the Miss Tourism World pageant in Quanzhou, China, in 2023.
The matter has been adjourned to February 2026 for further proceedings.
The police have urged residents to remain alert and report suspicious activity via emergency lines, reiterating their commitment to public safety and justice.
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