The Police in Abuja have revealed chilling details of the armed robbery operation that claimed the lives of Arise News staff, Somtochukwu Christella Maduagwu, and a security guard, Barnabas Danlami, at Gishiri village in Katampe District.
Operatives of the FCT Scorpion Squad, led by ACP Victor Godfrey, arrested 12 suspects linked to the violent robbery of an apartment on September 29, where Maduagwu, a journalist and producer, died after falling from a three-storey building during the chaos.
During interrogation, the suspects offered grim accounts of how the gang profited from the raid. Police investigators said four of them confessed that after the operation, their leader gathered the valuables and cash stolen from the victims’ apartment, sold some of the items, and then distributed the proceeds among the group.
One of the prime suspects, Shamsudeen Hassan, told interrogators that “after everything, the oga counted the money and gave each of us ₦200,000. That was my own share.” Another member, Abubakar Alkamu, corroborated the account, admitting that “the phones and other things were sold quickly. We didn’t waste time. We all got ₦200,000 each.”
Investigators said the confessions confirmed that the crime was carefully coordinated, with the gang operating like a structured network where every participant knew their expected benefit.
Shamsudeen further admitted to shooting the security guard, Danlami, when he tried to stop the gang from gaining entry into the compound. His accomplice, Sani Sirajo, confessed that he attempted to restrain Maduagwu from falling from the building but was “overwhelmed by her weight.” Shamsudeen also revealed that he drove away the victims’ Honda CR-V from the scene after the raid.
Police sources explained that four of the suspects, including Shamsudeen and Sirajo, were first apprehended through mobile phone tracking after they stole devices from the victims’ apartment. That breakthrough eventually led to the capture of eight others, who were intercepted while on their way to another planned robbery in Maitama.
Items recovered from the gang included a fabricated AK-47 rifle, a pump-action gun, a locally made pistol, 36 rounds of live ammunition, two cartridges, four stolen phones, sharp weapons, and torchlights used during the raid.
Investigations remain ongoing, with the police vowing to hunt down any fleeing members of the syndicate and ensure justice for the slain victims.
The killing of Maduagwu, described as a promising journalist with Arise News, has sparked widespread grief and renewed calls for stronger protections for media professionals and residents across the capital.