The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has disclosed that the gang responsible for the killing of Arise News anchor, Somtochukwu Maduagwu, obtained their weapons from an arms dealer based in the Niger Republic.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Command’s spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, confirmed the arrest of 12 suspects linked to the September 29, 2025 armed robbery and murder at Unique Apartments, Katampe Extension, Abuja, which also claimed the life of a security guard, Barnabas Danlami.
According to Adeh, preliminary findings showed that the group acquired a locally fabricated AK-47 rifle, a pump-action gun, and a pistol from a supplier operating across the Nigeria–Niger border.
“All the suspects are from Kaduna and Katsina States and have confessed to obtaining their weapons from a yet-to-be-identified supplier in the Niger Republic,” she said.
The arrested suspects include 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).
Adeh stated that the gang also admitted to carrying out several armed robbery operations in Katampe 1, Apo, and Zuba before the fatal attack on the Arise News journalist and the security guard.
Further investigations confirmed that one of the suspects, Shamsudeen Hassan, fired the fatal shot that killed Danlami during the incident.
To track down the perpetrators, the Commissioner of Police, Ajao Adewale, constituted a Special Investigation Team led by DCP Aliyu Abubakar and assisted by ACP Victor Godfrey. The team reportedly used digital intelligence and coordinated raids across the FCT, Nasarawa, and Kaduna States to apprehend the suspects.
Adeh urged residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious movements through the Command’s emergency lines.
Nigeria continues to face the challenge of illicit arms proliferation from neighbouring countries such as Niger, Chad, and Cameroon. The United Nations, in 2016, estimated that out of 500 million illicit small arms in West Africa, about 350 million were in Nigeria.
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