Eleven people accused of taking part in the killing of Arise News journalist, Somtochukwu Maduagwu, and a security guard, Barnabas Danlami, have been arraigned before a court in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, the country’s seat of government.
Okay News reports that the Federal Capital Territory Police Command said the suspects are facing charges tied to criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, and murder, following what investigators describe as a deadly robbery attack at an apartment complex in Abuja.
Miss Maduagwu, who worked as an anchor, reporter, and producer with Arise News, a Nigerian television news network, was killed alongside Mr Danlami during an early-morning raid at Unique Apartments in Katampe Extension, Mabushi, Abuja, on Monday, 29 September 2025.
Police identified the suspects brought before the court as Shamsu Hassan, Sani Sirajo, Hassan Isah, Abubakar Alkamu, Abdulsalam Saleh, Suleiman Badamasi, Zaharadeen Mohammed, Musa Umar (also known as “Small”), Mashkur Jamil, Suleiman Sani, and Abubakar Usman.
In its statement, the command said, “The suspects were arraigned on a nine-count charge, including criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, and murder.”
Investigators said the journalist, aged twenty-nine, died after armed attackers allegedly stormed the three-storey apartment building at about 3:30 a.m., moving from flat to flat and stealing residents’ belongings.
The Federal Capital Territory Commissioner of Police, Ajao Adewale, had earlier given an account of the immediate response after officers arrived, saying, “Policemen moved to the scene and found her lying unconscious. She was immediately taken to Maitama General Hospital, where doctors tried to resuscitate her using cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but sadly, she could not make it.”
Mr Adewale also condemned the killing as “cruel and senseless,” adding that such violence “has no place in a sane society.”
The Federal Capital Territory Police Command spokesperson, Superintendent of Police Josephine Adeh, previously said preliminary findings showed the group got weapons through an arms dealer operating along routes around the Nigeria–Niger border, a major West African frontier corridor.
Police said items recovered during the investigation included a fabricated AK-47 rifle, thirty-six rounds of live ammunition, a locally made pistol, a pump-action gun, two cartridges, four mobile phones said to belong to the victims, knives, a cutlass, and nine torchlights.
The command also said the suspects admitted involvement in other robbery operations in parts of Abuja, including Katampe One, a hotel in Apo, and another location in Zuba, all within the Federal Capital Territory.
Arise Television management described Miss Maduagwu as “delectable, intelligent, and bold,” and said she joined the organisation in Saturday, 01 September 2024, after representing Nigeria at the Miss Tourism World pageant in Quanzhou, China, in 2023.
The management said her legal background and reporting work shaped her advocacy for out-of-school children and her campaigning against sexual and gender-based violence.
The case has been adjourned to February 2026 for further proceedings, according to the police statement.
The command urged “members of the public to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious persons or packages through the Command’s emergency lines: 08032003913, 08028940883, or CRU FCT: 08107314192.”
