The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has revealed that the armed robbery gang responsible for 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 while announcing the arrest of 12 suspects linked to the September 29, 2025, robbery and murder at Unique Apartments, Katampe Extension, Abuja, where Maduagwu and a security guard, Barnabas Danlami, lost their lives.
Adeh said preliminary investigations showed that the syndicate procured its 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 police listed the arrested suspects 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 operations at Katampe 1, a hotel in Apo and Zuba, before the robbery that claimed the lives of Arise News anchor and the security guard.
“They have also confessed to participating in other armed robbery operations at Katampe 1, a hotel in Apo, and another in Zuba, all within the FCT, ” the statement added.
Adeh said further investigations confirmed that Hassan Shamsudeen fired the shot that killed the security guard during the attack.
“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 said.
Explaining how the operation to apprehend the suspects was carried out, Adeh said the Commissioner of Police, Ajao Adewale, deployed a special investigation team led by DCP Aliyu Abubakar and assisted by ACP Victor Godfrey to track down and dismantle the network following the murder.
“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. Leveraging digital reconstructive intelligence and conducting coordinated operations across the FCT, Nasarawa, and Kaduna States, the team successfully apprehended the suspects,” she said.
The police urged residents to remain alert and report suspicious movements through its emergency lines.
Nigeria has long struggled with the influx of illicit small arms and light weapons from neighbouring countries, especially Niger, Chad, and Cameroon.
In 2016, the United Nations raised concern over the widespread proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons in Nigeria, estimating that about 350 million of the 500 million such weapons circulating in West Africa were concentrated within the country.
The figure is about 70 per cent of the regional total.
A woman and her three children have d!ed in a fire outbreak that completely destroyed the Rugar Audu Badali Fulani community in Karasuwa Local Government Area of Yobe State.
The incident occurred at about 5pm on Friday, August 21, 2026, according to the Yobe State Emergency Management Agency (YOSEMA).
The deceased were identified as Bilkisu, wife of Mallam Bukar, and their three children, Zainab, Hafsat and Salamatu.
.the victims were buried according to Islamic rites, while surviving members of the household were left homeless following the destruction of their residence and belonging.
Director of Search and Rescue Operations of YOSEMA, Dr Muhammad Ibrahim Jalo, disclosed this to Daily Trust reporter in Damaturu, the Yobe State capital.
He said the agency had led a joint assessment and condolence visit to the affected community following the incident.
He said the assessment team, comprising officials of YOSEMA, representatives of the Karasuwa Local Government Authority and community stakeholders, visited the scene to document the extent of the destruction and assess the immediate needs of the survivors.
Jalo said the assessment established the need for emergency relief materials, temporary shelter and psychosocial support for those displaced by the fire.
He added that the agency was committed to coordinating timely humanitarian assistance and mobilising resources to alleviate the suffering of the affected residents.
The team also condoled with the bereaved family and residents of the community over the loss, while praying for the repose of the souls of the deceased and for strength for the surviving family members.
YOSEMA also appealed for collective efforts by communities and relevant stakeholders to strengthen preventive measures against fire outbreaks and avert similar tragedies in the state.
– N4.4bn worth of Loud seized at Apapa, Lekki ports; recovers consignments of meth, skunk, opioids in sweeps across Seme, Akwa Ibom, Ondo, Oyo, Kwara, Kano, Abia and FCT
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have recorded significant breakthroughs across the country’s land and maritime borders, including the arrest of a 101-year-old great grandmother for dealing in illicit drug, the interception of cocaine concealed in edible cassava flour popularly known as fufu, and the seizure of large consignments of Loud, a synthetic cannabis valued at over N4.4 billion at the Apapa and Lekki ports in Lagos.
In a rare and startling development, NDLEA operatives on Saturday, 15th August 2026, arrested a 101-year-old woman, Esther Ogunmabo, in Ilisan, Ogun state, with retail sachets of skunk, a strain of cannabis weighing 90 grams, which she claims she sells to locals.
The centenarian told operatives that she resorted to the illicit drug trade after her provisions shop was razed by fire, adding that one of her daughters, who resides in Lagos, arranges the supply of the substance to her every four days, which she in turn sold in bits.
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) has however directed that the suspect be granted bail and placed on counselling because of her advanced age, while her daughter has been arrested.
In a related development, NDLEA operatives in Akwa Ibom state acting on credible intelligence, on Friday, 21st August intercepted a wooden boat on the high seas conveying illicit drugs to fishing settlements in the Republic of Cameroon. Three suspects who were arrested on board the boat, which was heading to Ine Isu, Ine Mbah and Ine Ikot Itie Udung fishing ports in Cameroon, include: Etima Effiong Eekpo, 29, caught with 1.120kg skunk; Otobong Eyoh Etukudoh, 33, who had 42.060kg of skunk in his possession; and 27-year-old Kingsley Effiong John, who was found with 20grams of cocaine cleverly concealed inside a large wrap of edible cassava fufu, alongside 435grams of skunk. A total of 42.622kg of narcotics was recovered from the trio.
In the nation’s maritime space, the Agency recorded its first-ever seizure of illicit drugs shipped from Thailand through the maritime corridor, following the interception of two containers of cannabis indica, also known as Loud, at the Apapa and Lekki ports, with a combined street value put at over N4.4 billion.
Both containers were loaded at the Port of Laem Chabang, Thailand, underscoring the emergence of a new trafficking route being exploited by drug syndicates to smuggle synthetic cannabis into the country.
At the Apapa Port, a container, declared to be conveying dry fish, rice, vehicle spare parts, turmeric soap and inverter batteries, was found, during a joint examination of the shipment on Friday 21st August by NDLEA, Customs and others, to contain 1,090.5kg of Thai Loud packed in 54 cartons comprising 2,181 sachets of 500 grams each.
At the Lekki Deep Sea Port, a similar container, which had been placed on the Agency’s watchlist and monitored by its Marine Special Operations Unit, was jointly examined on Wednesday, 19th August. Of the seven pallets found in the container wrapped in black nylon, four were confirmed to be laced with Thai Loud, yielding 96 cartons made up of 400 parcels weighing a total of 400kg. The remaining three pallets contained 798 rims of A4 paper, which had been used as cover for the consignment.
In the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, NDLEA operatives on Saturday 22nd August intercepted three waybill packages containing 24,410 pills of tramadol capsules inside a hummer bus travelling from Enugu to Zuba. A follow-up operation conducted in Niger State led to the arrest of the owner of the consignment, Sunday Eze, 28, in Kontagora, after which he was transferred to Abuja.
Operatives in Ondo State on Wednesday 19th August raided a cannabis farm at Ijare forest, Ifedore Local Government Area, following the earlier arrest of three suspected cannabis planters at the same location on 16th August. The team destroyed a total of 10,000kg of skunk cultivated across four hectares of the forest. In a separate operation in the state, operatives same day at Ita-Ogbolu, Akure North LGA, recovered 210kg skunk and a Toyota Camry car with registration number AGL 223 JH belonging to Sylvester Dibiagu Anthony, who is currently at large.
In Kwara state, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Ogbomosho-Ilorin expressway, Ilorin on Friday 21st August intercepted a Toyota Starlet car without a registration number. A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 1.325kg of methamphetamine, wrapped in black nylon bags, alongside quantities of cannabis sativa. One suspect, Muhammadu Usman, 22, was arrested in connection with the seizure.
A 65-year-old woman, Adebayo Kaosarat, was arrested at Akobo-Ojuirin area of Ibadan, Oyo state on Friday 21st August with a cocktail of substances comprising 1.795kg of Scottish Loud, 1.66kg of tramadol, 600g of codeine syrup, 125g of diazepam and 50g of flunitrazepam, totalling 4.68kg.
A raid at Hadeija road, Kano, on Monday 17th August led to the arrest of Chibuzor Madueke, 31, with 98 blocks of skunk weighing 73.3kg recovered from him, while a similar operation by NDLEA operatives at Seme, Badagry area of Lagos led to the arrest of three family members: Nasiru Tijjani, 52; Moshood Tijjani, 27; and Salami Tijjani, 27, at Ashipa area, near the Seme border, with 48kg of skunk.
In Abia state, NDLEA officers on Thursday 20th August raided the residence of Ikechukwu Anthony Iwuno, 36, at Umuobia Olokoro area of Umuahia South LGA, where 14.4kg Loud, 2.3kg Colorado, 386grams of tramadol and 134grams of rohypnol were recovered.
With the same vigour, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week. These include: WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of Umar Bn Khattab College for Islamic Studies, Ungogo LGA, Kano; Markaz Al-Furqan Centre of Islamic and Arabic Teaching, Kishi, Oyo state; School of Nursing and Midwifery, Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi state; Mu’assasah Tahfizui Qur’an Islamiya School, Ibi, Taraba; and members of the Scout Association of Nigeria at the first National Youth Camp held in Benin City, Edo state, while the Idiroko Special Area Command of NDLEA paid a WADA advocacy visit to the Chairman of Ipokia LGA, Ogun state Hon. Johnson Avoseh, among others.
While commending the officers and men of Ogun, Apapa, Lekki, Seme, Akwa Ibom, Ondo, Oyo, Kwara, Kano, Abia and FCT Commands for the various successful operations, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Marwa (rtd) enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to continue with the current balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency.
Atraditional ruler in Igbesi, Oge Onigbin in Isin Local Government of Kwara, Oba Moses Iwedunmoye, has been kidnapped by bandits.
Community sources, who confirmed the incident to the Peoples Gazette, said the monarch was abducted when the bandits stormed the community around 11:00 p.m. on Saturday.
“It was a fierce attack. Oba Onigbesi was kidnapped and taken to an unknown location. It was a scary situation that disrupted the entire community,” a source said.
Another source noted, “Nobody expected such an attack at that odd hour. The bandits stormed the community and started shooting sporadically before taking Oba Onigbesi away. We don’t know where he was taken to.”
In another development, bandits invaded Wodata Rumallan village in Edu Local Government Area of the state and kidnapped two people.
It was learnt that the assailants also stormed the community late on Saturday, shooting sporadically.
The kidnapped victims were simply identified as Rukayat and her stepmother, Hazare.
The development had thrown the community into panic, with residents leaving in search of safety elsewhere.
When contacted for comment, police spokesperson SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi promised to verify the incidents and revert with details.
The latest incidents came amid escalating bandit attacks on several Kwara communities, particularly in Edu, Ifelodun, Irepodun, Kaiama and others.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu recently approved the establishment of an army battalion in the state to strengthen security and curb killings.
The battalion, which had since started operations, was stationed in Omu-Aran, the headquarters of Irepodun Local Government Area of the state.
