Twelve suspected armed robbers have been taken into custody by the Federal Capital Territory Police Command in connection with the murders of security guard Barnabas Danlami and Arise News employee Somtochukwu Christella Maduagwu during an Abuja robbery attack.
In a report on its website on Thursday, Arise TV stated that the arrests came after an operation conducted by the FCT Command’s Scorpion Squad, which was based on information from Giga Forensics, a forensics company that is a division of EIB STRATOC.
According to the announcement, the suspects were taken into custody by Scorpion Squad members under the command of ACP Victor Godfrey after Giga Forensics, an EIB STRATOC subsidiary, delivered actionable digital and reconstructive intelligence.
Twelve people were detained in relation to the event, the newspaper stated.
Zaharadeen Muhammad, Abdul Salam Saleh, Hassan Issan, Hassan Hassan, Abubakar Alkamu (also called Abba), Sani Sirajo (also called Dan Borume), Mashkur Jamilu, Suleiman Badamasi (also called Dan-Sule), Musa Adamu, Sumayya Mohammed, Isah Abdulrahman, and Musa Umar are among them.
“It is important to note that shortly after the robbery incident that took place at unique apartment, Katampe district, Mabushi, on 29/09/2025 at approximately 0330hrs, which tragically led to the deaths of Somtochukwu Christella Maduagwu and Barnabas Danlami, four (4) of the suspects, Shamsudeen Hassan, Alkamu, Sirajo, and one other person were apprehended through the tracking of phones stollen from the apartment during the robbery (Tracking and intercept service provided by us).”
Hassan admitted to shooting the security guard as he sought to enter during questioning, and Sirajo said he attempted to prevent Maduagwu from falling from the building during the assault.
A fake AK-47 rifle, 36 rounds of live ammo, a locally manufactured pistol, a pump-action gun, two cartridges, four victim cell phones, knives, a cutlass, and nine torchlights are among the items found on the suspects.
The remaining gang members were reportedly on their way to Maitama, Abuja, on Wednesday for another planned heist when they were apprehended, the police claimed.
While the investigation is ongoing, the report states that the suspects confessed to the crime.
In the early hours of September 29, 2025, Maduagwu, an Arise News producer and anchor, was killed in a robbery at her home in the Gishiri neighborhood of Katampe District, Abuja.
According to reports, the attackers broke into the flat, assaulted the residents, and also murdered Barnabas Danlami, the estate’s security guard.
Despite early allegations that she was shot, authorities say Maduagwu fell from the third floor of her building while trying to flee the attackers.
