Late Arise TV News Anchor Sommie Maduagwu Defied Father’s Warning, Not To Return To Nigeria

Obi Maduagwu, uncle to the late Arise TV news anchor Somtochukwu Maduagwu, popularly known as Sommie, has revealed that her father had advised her against returning to Nigeria.

The 29-year-old sustained fatal injuries after jumping from a three-story building in the Katampe area of Abuja.

Maduagwu’s uncle told Leadership that before returning to Nigeria against her father’s wishes, she lived and worked in the United Kingdom alongside her two younger siblings.

Maduagwu explained that he was the first family member to be contacted after Somtochukwu’s death, as her father works offshore on an oil rig.

He said, “It was really a shock. They called me about my niece. I have other nieces, children of my immediate younger sister, and they are in Abuja too. They called me and said this is what they heard.

“They said someone used Sommie’s phone to call them and said this is what happened to your sister. I said, ‘Okay, rush to that place. You know normally, some scammers can call you and say this person is sick or that.’ I told her to go to Sommie’s place and confirm. She got there, saw what was happening, asked them, and they confirmed it.

“I then said, ‘Okay, since they said it is true, go to the hospital to confirm whether it is her or not.’ She went to the National Hospital, Abuja, saw her, and sent me the evidence immediately. The pictures were there, which made me confirm, one of her on the stretcher and one of the building she fell from. It was when I got those pictures that I started thinking about what to do.

“Her father, who is my junior brother, works on the rig, and her mother also works. That was the problem. If I decided to hide it from them, it might leak onto the internet at any moment. So, I started making arrangements to get her (Sommie’s mother) back from her office through her elder sister’s husband, who is in Abuja.

“When I called her, I didn’t tell her anything but requested the phone number of her brother-in-law. I called him, explained what had happened, and asked him to find out exactly what had happened. He dropped everything he was doing and rushed to the hospital in Abuja, where he confirmed it. We were then able to bring her back and inform her. But before that, she had a feeling something was wrong, though she couldn’t figure it out.”

Obi Maduagwu stated that Somtochukwu was someone who always did things her own way whenever she wanted to.

He added, “She was the first daughter and had two younger siblings, a boy and a girl. Somtochukwu was always determined; when she set her mind on something, nothing could stop her. If she said, ‘This is what I want to do and where I want to go,’ there was no convincing her otherwise.

“She completed her studies in the United Kingdom and worked there for two years. Then, she announced her decision to return to Nigeria. Her father protested, asking what she hoped to achieve back home. But she was steadfast, insisting that she must come back. She told her father that she was coming home to make Nigeria work. That was her conviction. While many were fleeing the country, those already abroad with foreign passports and citizenship, Somtochukwu chose to return and serve her fatherland. It was a bold, selfless stand that defined her spirit.”