Arise TV journalist and former beauty queen Somtochukwu Christelle Maduagwu, 29, died after leaping from her Abuja apartment’s third floor to escape armed robbers who invaded her estate.
ABUJA — Tragedy struck in Abuja when 29-year-old Arise TV reporter and former beauty queen, Somtochukwu Christelle Maduagwu, died after leaping from her third-floor apartment to escape a robbery attack.
The incident occurred at Unique Apartments, Katampe, in the early hours of September 30, when between 14 and 15 armed men invaded the estate. Witnesses said her final cry of “Jesus, Jesus!” still echoes in the neighbourhood.
Construction workers sleeping nearby recounted freezing in fear as gunshots rang out. One worker, Ahmadu, told Saturday Vanguard in Hausa: “I did not move. I thought if they saw me, I was gone. I lay flat on the floor and prayed not to be noticed.”
Inside her apartment, Somtochukwu reportedly panicked as the intruders advanced. Though the robbers urged her not to jump, she leapt, sustaining fatal head injuries. “She wasn’t shot, let’s not go there. The truth is she jumped,” a colleague confirmed, adding, “You know how it is with the threat of rape, not every victim can face it.”
Somtochukwu, born on December 26, 1995, hailed from Anambra State. A UK-trained lawyer, she had served as a tourism ambassador for Nigeria before joining Arise News in September 2024. Her colleagues described her as “reserved but graceful, warm when engaged, and deeply ambitious.”
Her death has left her family, friends, and colleagues devastated. “She was so full of life, so well-travelled, so full of promise. And now, she’s gone,” a grieving colleague said.
Though the estate has resumed its quiet routine, residents say the haunting memory of her final cry lingers.
For many, Somtochukwu’s tragic end underscores both the insecurity in Abuja and the dangers women face during violent attacks.