In the wee hours of 29 September, Nigeria lost Somtochukwu Christelle Maduagwu, a talented journalist, model, lawyer and shining star during an armed robbery attack at her residence in the Kamtape area of Abuja. Sommie, as she was fondly called by family, friends, colleagues and her admirers, was a victim of an egregious and gruesome attack on residents who were helpless and had their hearts in their mouths.
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At such moments, you are afraid, worried, and not sure how violent the attackers would be. Families stay huddled together, praying and anticipating the worst-case scenario. Those fearful and traumatic moments are worse than death itself. Sommie died, not by the slow grind of economic hardship, but by the animal boldness of a blood-thirsty and murdering gang that will never know peace.
The 29-year-old Arise News anchor was a multi-faceted individual who made a name for herself in various fields. Sommie who was a warm and vibrant personality did not die from bullet wounds as early reports suggested. She died because terror itself cornered her. That night, armed robbers stormed her apartment complex, moving from flat to flat like a hunting pack, stripping residents of money, phones and dignity.
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Frantic calls to the police rang unanswered. As the intruders closed in, Sommie, unsure of what would happen next, made a desperate bid to save herself. According to the latest account narrated by her obviously distressed colleague, Ojy Okpe, on The Morning Show on Arise News, she jumped from her window. The fall proved fatal.
It was not surprising that Okpe betrayed her emotions as she recounted the events. The Arise News family was thrown into an unexpected grief and deep mourning, followed by tributes from the high and mighty which has become a tradition. These are the same people who should use their positions and access to privileges to improve the quality of our lives.
During the programme, I sent a message to Dr Reuben Abati, the lead anchor. “I don’t know Sommie, but her untimely death is a personal tragedy,” I told Abati. “Her dreams have been suddenly cut short, family ties broken forever. How low have we become in this country?”
Her death is not an isolated tragedy. It is the latest entry in a grim national ledger written in blood. Nigeria is being held hostage by criminals of various hues, stalking our homes, streets and, too often, our dreams. What can we do differently as a way out of the encircling gloom of insecurity? Are state and community policing options to be considered? It looks like it is now every man for himself.
Sommie’s story is heartbreakingly familiar. She was a lawyer by training and a journalist by conviction; a young woman who had returned from the UK not to flee Nigeria’s chaos but to help mend it as a TV news anchor, producer and reporter. She advocated for social justice, particularly on issues like gender-based violence and education reform. Studying law aligned with her passion for social justice and public service.
Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, was designed to be a secure centre of power and governance. Instead, under the watch of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and our security agencies, the city is turning into a hunting ground for marauders.
The FCT Police Command described the incident as “cruel and senseless” and promised to deploy tactical teams and intelligence units. Yet, words mean little when people die, and response times are counted in hours rather than in minutes.
Residents say the robbers operated without fear of interruption. Tenants barricaded themselves indoors while help failed to arrive. A young journalist’s life ended not for lack of courage, but because the state that owed her protection was absent.
This insecurity is no longer confined to remote villages. It stalks urban centres from Lagos to Abuja. The men who terrorise neighbourhoods are by-products of an economy that excludes millions who are poor, a collapsed education system and a healthcare and social welfare system that exists mostly on paper.
If a 29-year-old forward-looking professional, highly educated, visible and engaged in public life cannot find safety in her own home, what hope is left for ordinary citizens? Sommie would have become 30 years old on 26 December.
The beauty queen now joins a sorrowful roll-call: Okezie Nwokocha, a tech innovator shot in his sleep; Chinelo, the young emigrant whose journey to a better life was cut short, and many others whose names are reduced to mere statistics. These are not random tragedies – they are the symptoms of a failing state where the powerful offer condolences on television while families grieve in silence.
President Bola Tinubu’s message of condolence sounded sincere but routine, another ritual of words. Information Minister Mohammed Idris called it “a grievous loss” to the media and to the nation. Fine words, but where is the urgency? Are we going to wait for the next victim before action is taken?
What are the outcomes of emergency security meetings, or plans to scale-up community policing in the absence of state police? Maybe investment in modern forensics that could deter criminals before they strike or trace them after the act are still an ongoing enterprise.
Sommie’s death sparked widespread grief across the country, while outrage spilled across social media under the hashtag #WikeSecureAbujaNow. “If someone as visible as Somtochukwu could be attacked in her own home, what hope do ordinary citizens have?” asked one user. Another lamented, “Sommie’s killers walk free; justice delayed is justice denied.”
Nigerians can no longer rely on prayers and promises. We must demand accountability with the same force that Sommie brought to her reporting. The lorry-load of tributes by government officials are empathetic, but they are not enough to solve our embarrassing security challenges.
To her colleagues at Arise News, Sommie was more than a pearl and bright presenter. She was a reminder that journalism, at its best, stands against darkness, oppression, corruption, and bad leadership. A bright star was dimmed in the journalism firmament – just like that. Every form of death is painful, but Sommie was not sick. Her death is deeply painful and completely heartbreaking. Her passing leaves searing questions: Who will save us? Are we safe?
Answers to these questions must begin with citizens insisting on protection of life and property, with communities practicing vigilance and shinning their eyes. Our political elite and those in authority must be willing to take full responsibility for security lapses and confront the blood on their hands.
We have reported cases of kidnappers and unknown gunmen wreaking havoc across the entire length and breadth of the country, unrestrained. But it shouldn’t be so; we should feel safe at all times of the day – whether at home, in the work place or on the road.
As a writer, Sommie contributed articles to BellaNaija, and other lifestyle platforms, writing about fashion, beauty and women’s empowerment. She won the Miss Tourism Nigeria pageant and represented Nigeria at the Miss Tourism Nigeria pageant held in Quanzhou, China, in 2023.
Sommie’s voice may be gone, but the fire she lit against impunity and bad behaviour without consequences must not die; let the glow constantly remind us of our immortality.
May her memory continue to be a blessing. Goodbye, Sommie.
Ehi Braimah is a public relations specialist, marketing strategist and media entrepreneur. He is the publisher/editor-in-chief of Naija Times and Lagos Post, and can be reached via [email protected].
