By Charles Maduka
The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has revealed that the gang responsible for the murder of Arise News anchor, Somtochukwu Maduagwu, obtained their weapons from an arms supplier in the Niger Republic.
According to the Command’s spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, twelve suspects linked to the robbery and killing, which occurred on September 29 at Unique Apartments, Katampe Extension, Abuja, have been arrested. During the attack, Maduagwu and a security guard, Barnabas Danlami, were shot dead.
Adeh said preliminary investigations confirmed that the gang sourced its firearms, including a locally made AK-47 rifle, pump-action gun, and pistol, from a Niger-based dealer. All suspects, identified as residents of Kaduna and Katsina States, confessed to using the weapons in several robberies before the fatal incident.
The arrested suspects were listed as Shamsudeen Hassan, Hassan Isah, Abubakar Alkamu, Sani Sirajo, Mashkur Jamilu, Suleiman Badamasi, Abdulsalam Saleh, Zaharadeen Muhammad, Musa Adamu, Sumayya Mohammed, Isah Abdulrahman, and Musa Umar. Further investigations revealed that Shamsudeen Hassan fired the bullet that killed the security guard during the attack.
Police Commissioner Ajao Adewale deployed a special investigation team led by DCP Aliyu Abubakar and ACP Victor Godfrey to track down the culprits. The operation, which relied on digital intelligence and coordinated raids across the FCT, Nasarawa, and Kaduna States, successfully led to their arrest.
The police advised residents to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity. Nigeria continues to face challenges with the inflow of illegal firearms from neighboring countries, a problem the United Nations says has left the country with about 70 percent of West Africa’s illicit weapons.
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