The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has revealed that the armed gang responsible for the murder of Arise News anchor, Somtochukwu Maduagwu, sourced its weapons from an arms dealer operating in the Niger Republic.
The revelation came on Friday, following the arrest of 12 suspects linked to the September 29, 2025, robbery and killing at Unique Apartments, Katampe Extension, Abuja, where Maduagwu and a security guard, Barnabas Danlami, were shot dead.
In a statement by the Command’s spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, the police said preliminary investigations showed that the gang acquired its weapons, including a locally fabricated AK-47 rifle, a pump-action gun, and a pistol, from a yet-to-be-identified arms supplier 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,” Adeh said.
The arrested suspects 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 Adeh, the suspects confessed to carrying out multiple armed robberies in the Federal Capital Territory, including attacks in Katampe 1, a hotel in Apo, and another in Zuba, before the fatal operation that claimed the journalist’s life.
“They have also confessed to participating in other armed robbery operations at Katampe 1, a hotel in Apo, and another in Zuba, all within the FCT,” the police spokesperson said.
Further investigation, she added, confirmed that Shamsudeen Hassan fired the shot that killed the security guard during the attack.
“The fatal shot which claimed the life of the security guard, Mr Barnabas Danlami, was fired by one of the suspects, Shamsudeen Hassan,” she stated.
How Police Tracked and Arrested Suspects
Adeh explained that following the incident, FCT Commissioner of Police, Ajao Adewale, set up a Special Investigation Team led by DCP Aliyu Abubakar, assisted by ACP Victor Godfrey, to track and dismantle the network behind the crime.
“Leveraging digital reconstructive intelligence and conducting coordinated operations across the FCT, Nasarawa, and Kaduna States, the team successfully apprehended the suspects,” Adeh said.
Recovered items included a fabricated AK-47 rifle, 36 rounds of 9mm live ammunition, a locally made pistol, two live cartridges, four stolen mobile phones, two sharp knives, a cutlass, and nine torchlights used in the operation.
The FCT Police Command urged residents to remain alert and report suspicious movements through its emergency lines, assuring that investigations were ongoing to arrest other fleeing accomplices.
Nigeria has faced long-standing challenges with the influx of illicit small arms and light weapons from neighbouring countries, particularly Niger, Chad, and Cameroon.
A United Nations report in 2016 estimated that about 350 million of the 500 million illegal weapons circulating in West Africa were concentrated in Nigeria, accounting for roughly 70 per cent of the region’s total stockpile.
“This remains a grave concern for national security,” a senior police officer said, noting that cross-border arms smuggling continues to fuel violent crimes across the country.
© 2025 Naijaonpoint, a division of NOP Media Inc. Contact us via [email protected]