The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has disclosed that the firearms used in the deadly attack that resulted in the deaths of ARISE News anchor Somtochukwu Maduagwu and a security guard were sourced from an arms supplier based in Niger Republic.
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, armed robbery at Unique Apartments, Katampe Extension, Abuja.
During the robbery, a security guard, Barnabas Danlami, was fatally shot, while Maduagwu sustained severe injuries after jumping from her apartment window in an attempt to flee. She later died from her wounds.
Adeh explained that preliminary investigations revealed the suspects purchased their weapons—including a locally fabricated AK-47 rifle, a pump-action gun, and a pistol—from a dealer operating along the Nigeria–Niger Republic border corridor.
“The suspects, all from Kaduna and Katsina States, confessed that they obtained their guns from an unidentified arms supplier in Niger Republic,” Adeh said.
Those arrested were identified 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).
According to the police, the suspects admitted to being involved in several armed robberies in Katampe 1, Apo, and Zuba, all within the FCT, before the fatal incident that claimed the lives of Maduagwu and Danlami.
Further investigations confirmed that Shamsudeen Hassan was the one who fired the shot that killed the security guard during the operation.
Adeh noted that following the crime, the Commissioner of Police, CP Ajao S. Adewale, formed a Special Investigation Team headed by DCP Aliyu Abubakar and assisted by ACP Victor Godfrey. The team used intelligence gathering and coordinated operations across Abuja, Nasarawa, and Kaduna to track down and arrest the culprits.
“Through intelligence-driven surveillance and coordinated raids, the police successfully apprehended the suspects and dismantled their network,” Adeh added.
The FCT Police Command urged residents to remain alert and report suspicious persons or movements through its emergency contact lines.
Nigeria continues to face a growing challenge with the illegal flow of small arms and light weapons from neighbouring countries such as Niger, Chad, and Cameroon.
According to a United Nations report in 2016, Nigeria accounted for about 350 million of the 500 million illicit weapons circulating in West Africa—representing roughly 70 percent of the region’s total.
