The Nigeria Police have arrested twelve suspected members of a notorious armed robbery gang believed to be responsible for the brutal attack and death of Arise News staff, Somtochukwu Christella Maduagwu, during a night-time invasion of her Gishiri residence in Abuja.
According to sources from. Within security circles the suspects, arrested after weeks of coordinated intelligence operations and digital tracking, were paraded on Thursday.
They were listed to include, Shamsudeen Hassan (Malumfashi, Katsina), Hassan Isah (Zaria, Kaduna), Abubakar Alkamu a.k.a. Abba (Musawa, Katsina), Sani Sirajo a.k.a. Dan Borume (Malumfashi, Katsina), Mashkur Jamilu a.k.a. Abba (Igabi, Kaduna), Suleiman Badamasi a.k.a. Dan-Sule (Malumfashi, Katsina), Abdul Salam Saleh a.k.a. Na-Durudu (Katsina), Zaharadeen Muhammad a.k.a. Gwaska (Chikun, Kaduna), Musa Adamu a.k.a. Musa Hassan (Malumfashi, Katsina), Sumayya Mohammed a.k.a. Baby (Sammaka, Kaduna), Isah Abdulrahman a.k.a. Abbati (Zaria, Kaduna), and Musa Umar a.k.a. Small (Maiduguri, Borno).
Police investigations revealed that four of the suspects — Hassan, Alkamu, Sirajo, and another accomplice — were the first to be arrested after detectives tracked mobile phones stolen from Maduagwu’s apartment during the robbery.
In their confessions, Shamsudeen Hassan admitted shooting the security guard who attempted to block their entry, while Sani Sirajo said he tried to stop the journalist from falling off the building but was “overpowered by her weight.” Shamsudeen also confessed to driving the white Honda CR-V jeep stolen from the compound after the operation.
The gang reportedly shared ₦200,000 each from the proceeds of the crime.
Recovered from the suspects were a fabricated AK-47 rifle, 36 rounds of live ammunition, a locally made pistol, a pump-action gun, two cartridges, four mobile phones, two knives, a cutlass, and nine torchlights used during the operation.
Police sources said the latest breakthrough came on October 8, when acting on digital intelligence and a tip-off, operatives intercepted the remaining gang members — including Musa Umar (Small) and Hassan Isah — while they were reportedly on their way to another planned armed robbery in Maitama, Abuja.
“All suspects have confessed to their involvement in the Gishiri robbery and other operations,” a senior police official confirmed, adding that further investigations are ongoing to identify additional accomplices and recover more weapons.
The death of Somtochukwu Maduagwu, a young producer with Arise News, had drawn nationwide outrage, prompting the Inspector-General of Police to order a full-scale investigation into the incident. Her tragic passing has since reignited conversations about rising insecurity in the capital and the need for improved residential safety measures.