ARISE News Anchor Somtochukwu Maduagwu to Be Laid to Rest October 18 as Police Arrest 12 Over Her Murder

ARISE News has announced that its late anchor, correspondent, and producer, Somtochukwu Christelle Maduagwu, who tragically lost her life during an armed robbery on September 29, 2025, will be buried on Saturday, October 18, 2025.

In a statement released by the station on Saturday, it was disclosed that an “Evening of Tributes” will take place on Sunday, October 12, 2025, at the THISDAY Dome, Central Business District, Abuja.

This will be followed by a Service of Songs on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, at the Corpus Christi Cathedral, Kaduna Street, Port Harcourt.

According to ARISE News, the funeral mass will be held at St. Theresa Catholic Church, Agulu, Anambra State, ahead of her interment on October 18.

Maduagwu, aged 29, was a lawyer, model, news anchor, reporter, and producer. She was killed during an armed robbery at her residence in the Katampe area of Abuja, where a security guard, Barnabas Danlami, also lost his life.

Meanwhile, the Federal Capital Territory Police Command has confirmed the arrest of 12 suspects in connection with the crime.

The Command’s spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, revealed in a statement on Friday that the gang obtained their weapons from a supplier in the Niger Republic.

> “Preliminary investigations show that the syndicate procured firearms — including a locally fabricated AK-47 rifle, a pump-action gun, and a pistol — from an arms dealer operating along the Nigeria–Niger border,” Adeh stated.



She added that all suspects, who hail from Kaduna and Katsina States, confessed to purchasing their weapons from the yet-to-be-identified Nigerien supplier.

Adeh further explained that the Commissioner of Police, Ajao Adewale, deployed a special investigation team led by DCP Aliyu Abubakar and ACP Victor Godfrey, which successfully tracked and dismantled the criminal network behind the journalist’s murder.