Police have unmasked the suspects behind Arise News Anchor Somtochukwu’s death in Abuja armed robbery.
NewsOnline Nigeria reports that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has identified and arrested twelve suspected armed robbers responsible for the tragic killing of Arise News anchor, Somtochukwu Christella Maduagwu, and a security guard, Barnabas Danlami, during a violent robbery at Unique Apartments, Gishiri Village, Katampe District, Abuja.
The incident, which occurred around 3:30 a.m. on September 29, sent shockwaves across Nigeria’s media community.
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In a statement on Wednesday, the FCT Police Command said the arrests followed a directive from Commissioner of Police Benneth Igweh, who tasked a special team to track down the perpetrators.
Operatives of the Scorpion Squad, led by ACP Victor Godfrey, in collaboration with Giga Forensics, a subsidiary of EIB STRATOC, used digital and reconstructive intelligence to locate the suspects across various hideouts in Abuja and neighbouring states.
The suspects were identified as Shamsudeen Hassan, Hassan Isah (22), Abubakar Alkamu a.k.a. Abba (27), Sani Sirajo a.k.a. Dan Borume (20), Mashkur Jamilu a.k.a. Abba (28), Suleiman Badamasi a.k.a. Dan-Sule (21), Abdul Salam Saleh a.k.a. Na-Durudu, Zaharadeen Muhammad a.k.a. Gwaska (23), Musa Adamu a.k.a. Musa Hassan (30), Sumayya Mohammed a.k.a. Baby (27), Isah Abdulrahman a.k.a. Abbati (25), and Musa Umar a.k.a. Small (31).
Police sources said four suspects, including Hassan and Alkamu, were traced after using the victims’ stolen phones. During interrogation, Hassan confessed to shooting the security guard, while Sirajo admitted to struggling with Ms. Maduagwu, claiming he tried to prevent her from falling off the building during the chaos.
The gang allegedly sold the victims’ stolen belongings, sharing about ₦200,000 each.
Recovered items from the suspects include one fabricated AK-47 rifle, 36 rounds of live ammunition, a pump-action gun, two pistols, four mobile phones belonging to the victims, two knives, a cutlass, and several torchlights used during the operation.
The police added that two additional suspects were intercepted on October 8 while planning another robbery in Maitama, Abuja.
“All suspects have confessed to their crimes. Investigation is ongoing, and updates will be provided in due course,” the statement said.
The police noted that the photographs of the arrested suspects were being withheld to protect ongoing operations and ensure the capture of other fleeing accomplices.
