The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has said that suspects linked to the killing of ARISE News anchor, Somtochukwu Maduagwu, sourced their weapons from a supplier in the Niger Republic.
The Command’s spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, disclosed this in a statement on Friday, October 10, while announcing the arrest of twelve suspects in connection with the September 29, 2025, robbery and murder at Unique Apartments, Katampe Extension, Abuja.
Adeh said preliminary investigations revealed that the gang obtained their firearms, including a locally fabricated AK-47 rifle, a pump-action gun, and a pistol, from an arms dealer 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,” 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).
Adeh said the suspects confessed to carrying out several other robberies within the Federal Capital Territory, including operations in Katampe 1, a hotel in Apo, and another in Zuba, before the incident that led to the deaths of Maduagwu and a security guard, Barnabas Danlami.
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“Further investigations confirmed that 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.
Adeh explained that the Commissioner of Police, Ajao Adewale, established a special investigation team led by DCP Aliyu Abubakar and ACP Victor Godfrey to track down and dismantle the network.
The team, she said, relied on digital intelligence and coordinated operations across the FCT, Nasarawa, and Kaduna States to arrest the suspects.
“Following the tragic incident, the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, CP Ajao S. Adewale psc. mnips., established a Special Investigation Team led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, State Criminal Investigation Department, DCP Aliyu Abubakar, and assisted by the Commander, Scorpion Squad, ACP Victor Godfrey, with a clear mandate to track down and dismantle the criminal network behind the attack,” Adeh said.
The police urged residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities through its emergency lines.
Nigeria has long faced challenges with the influx of illegal small arms from neighbouring countries, particularly Niger, Chad, and Cameroon.