Crime
JUST IN: POLICE ARREST 12 SUSPECTS INVOLVED IN DEADLY ROBBERY THAT CLAIMED LIVES OF ARISE NEWS STAFF AND SECURITY GUARD IN ABUJA (VIDEO)
The Police in the Federal Capital Territory have arrested twelve suspects involved in the armed robbery incident that led to the tragic deaths of Somtochukwu Christella Maduagwu, a staff of Arise News, and Barnabas Danlami, a security guard, at Unique Apartment, Gishiri village, Katampe district, Abuja, on September 29, 2025. The operation was led by ACP Victor Godfrey of the Scorpion Squad, acting on actionable digital and reconstructive intelligence provided by Giga Forensics, a subsidiary of EIB STRATOC.
The suspects arrested are Shamsudeen Hassan from Malumfashi LGA, Katsina State; Hassan Isah, 22, from Zaria, Kaduna State; Abubakar Alkamu, 27, from Musawa LGA, Katsina State; Sani Sirajo, 20, from Malumfashi LGA, Katsina State; Mashkur Jamilu, 28, from Igabi LGA, Kaduna State; Suleiman Badamasi, 21, from Malumfashi LGA, Katsina State; Abdul Salam Saleh from Katsina LGA, Katsina State; Zaharadeen Muhammad, 23, from Chikun LGA, Kaduna State; Musa Adamu, 30, from Malumfashi LGA, Katsina State; Sumayya Mohammed, 27, from Sammaka LGA, Kaduna State; Isah Abdulrahman, 25, from Zaria LGA, Kaduna State; and Musa Umar, 31, from Maiduguri LGA, Borno State.
Shamsudeen Hassan confessed during interrogation that he shot the security guard, Barnabas Danlami, when he attempted to prevent the gang’s access to the apartment. Sani Sirajo confessed to trying to hold Somtochukwu Christella Maduagwu from falling off the three-storey building but was overwhelmed by her weight. Shamsudeen Hassan also stated he drove the white Honda CR-V jeep out of the apartment after the operation. The four suspects initially apprehended admitted each received ₦200,000 from the crime proceeds.
Recovered exhibits include one fabricated AK-47 rifle, thirty-six rounds of 9mm live ammunition, one locally made pistol, one pump-action gun, two live cartridges, four mobile phones of the victims, two sharp knives, one cutlass, and nine torchlights used during the operation. “Shortly after the robbery incident, four of the suspects were apprehended through tracking of phones stolen from the apartment,” according to the report citing tracking and intercept services provided by Giga Forensics.
The remaining suspects were intercepted on October 8, 2025, while en route to a planned armed robbery operation in Maitama, Abuja, acting on a tip-off and digital intelligence. All suspects have confessed to the crimes. Investigations are ongoing, with further developments to be communicated. Pictures of the suspects are withheld until remaining fleeing members are arrested. Exhibits recovered include weapons linked to the crime, with video evidence of recovery of one AK47 rifle at Zuma Rock.
A 30-year-old pregnant woman is currently receiving medical treatment after she was allegedly raped and assaulted by a 24-year-old suspect, identified as Ugwu Desmond, in Affa community, Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State.
According to the Enugu State Police Command, the incident occurred on the night of March 14, 2026, when the victim was returning home from a neighbour’s house along a quiet path in Amokwo-Affa.
Police said the suspect, armed with a cutlass, reportedly trailed the victim before attacking her from behind. He allegedly forced her to the ground, attempted to strangle her, and covered her mouth to prevent her from raising alarm. The assailant then dragged her into an uncompleted building where he threatened to kill her before raping her and inflicting injuries.
The victim reportedly managed to survive the ordeal and reported the incident to authorities around 6:15 a.m. the following day, prompting swift action by operatives of the Affa Police Division, who arrested the suspect.
The police said the victim was immediately taken to hospital for treatment, while investigators processed the scene and recovered key exhibits, including the cutlass used in the attack and clothing suspected to contain blood and seminal stains.
The Command’s spokesman, SP Daniel Ndukwe, confirmed the development, adding that the suspect has confessed to the crime.
Commissioner of Police, Mamman Bitrus Giwa, described the incident as disturbing and assured that a thorough investigation is ongoing. He stated that the suspect would be charged to court upon conclusion of investigations.
Giwa also urged residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities promptly, stressing that community awareness is critical to preventing crime.
A Nigerian national, James Junior Aliyu, has been sentenced to 90 months (seven and a half years) in prison in the United States for his involvement in a large-scale wire fraud and money laundering scheme.
According to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Aliyu played a key role in a transnational cybercrime network that targeted business email systems and defrauded individuals and organisations of millions of dollars.
Investigations revealed that the fraud scheme involved hacking into corporate email accounts and using them to divert funds through fraudulent transactions. Authorities said the operation affected multiple victims and formed part of a broader business email compromise (BEC) conspiracy.
Aliyu was arrested in South Africa in 2022 following an international investigation involving Interpol and local law enforcement before being extradited to the United States to face trial.
The 30-year-old later pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. As part of the sentence, the court ordered him to forfeit $1.2 million and pay $2.4 million in restitution to victims.
Authorities also confirmed that Aliyu will be deported after completing his prison term.
Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested a suspected gunrunner, Kelvin Ebikeniye Dugo, in Cross River State, intercepting a cache of 850 rounds of live ammunition.
The arrest, which took place on March 16 at Ivara Esu Estate in Odukpani Local Government Area, followed credible intelligence on the suspect’s alleged plan to acquire the ammunition.
Security sources said Dugo was apprehended shortly after receiving the consignment, which had been concealed inside food items. The ammunition was reportedly supplied by another suspected gunrunner, Azenda Barnabas, also known as Jagaban, based in Aliade, Benue State.
Items recovered during the operation included 850 rounds of live ammunition and two empty AK-47 magazines.
The sources noted that the DSS has stepped up operations nationwide in a bid to dismantle gunrunning networks and curb the proliferation of illegal arms.
They added that the latest arrest underscores the agency’s ongoing commitment to tracking down and prosecuting individuals involved in arms trafficking across the country.