The media industry was thrown into mourning this week following the tragic death of Arise News anchor, Sommie Maduagwu, who died during a robbery incident at her residence in Katampe, a suburb of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
Initial reports had suggested that Sommie, who joined Arise News in 2024, was killed directly by armed robbers. However, eyewitness accounts have revealed a more harrowing chain of events that underscores the dangers of insecurity and systemic failure in the country.
According to residents of the six-flat apartment complex where she lived, armed robbers stormed the building late at night, moving from flat to flat and dispossessing occupants of valuables. Alarmed neighbors placed frantic calls to the police, but officers allegedly failed to respond on time.
As the commotion grew closer to her apartment, Sommie gripped by fear attempted to escape through her window. In the process, she fell, sustaining serious injuries. Minutes later, the police finally arrived, by which time she was still alive and reportedly pleading for immediate evacuation to the hospital. Shockingly, eyewitnesses claim the officers told her they had no fuel in their vehicle to convey her.
Desperate, Sommie managed to reach out to her mother’s best friend, who lived nearby. Tragically, by the time help arrived, the young broadcaster had passed away.
Born Somtochukwu Maduagwu, she was the first child of her parents after a long wait of 10 years. After high school in Nigeria, she studied law in the United Kingdom before returning home for law school and later building her career in journalism. She is survived by her parents and two younger siblings.
Sommie’s untimely death has sparked outrage, raising urgent questions about insecurity, the responsiveness of law enforcement, and the state of emergency healthcare in Nigeria.
One Comment
This account does not sound good to be true. How could she have escaped through a window with buglary, how did she manage to break the buglary?