Samuel Omang
Nigeria is in shock as the tragic death of 29-year-old Arise News correspondent, Somtochukwu Maduagwu, has sparked a national outcry over hospital negligence, after colleagues revealed she was denied emergency care despite surviving a violent robbery attack.
On Tuesday’s edition of The Morning Show, anchors Ojy Okpe and Reuben Abati broke down while narrating how Maduagwu leapt from her Abuja home in desperation as 14 armed robbers invaded. She survived the fall but later died, they alleged, because hospital staff refused to treat her without proper identification.
“She did not die on the spot,” Okpe said, visibly shaken. “She was taken to Maitama District Hospital but rejected. This really is a tragic, tragic incident. Sommie’s life could have been saved, but the hospital refused to treat her.”
The revelation has unleashed anger nationwide, with Abati calling the conduct “a violation of medical ethics and Nigerian law.” He thundered: “Anybody who is a victim of an accident should be treated immediately. Instead, lives were wasted because of bureaucracy.”
Midway through the broadcast, the Arise News anchors linked her death not only to the armed robbers, but also to a deeper national failure. “This job we do is dangerous. But when hospital negligence kills, it is even more painful. Nigeria happened to her,” Abati lamented.
The heartbreak grew heavier when Okpe recalled Maduagwu’s haunting last post on X weeks earlier: “I pray from the depth of my heart that Nigeria never happens to me or anyone I care about.” The words, once a lament, have now become her epitaph, circulating widely across social media.
Maduagwu — a lawyer, former beauty queen, and advocate for women and children — had only joined ARISE in September 2024. In its statement, the station praised her as “delectable, intelligent, and bold,” recalling her tireless campaigns against gender-based violence and her legal advocacy for out-of-school children.
The FCT Police Command has launched an investigation into the robbery and circumstances of her death, while tributes continue to pour in from colleagues, viewers, and admirers who describe her as “fearless” and “full of promise.”
But amid mourning, Nigerians are demanding accountability. For many, her death is not just another statistic of armed robbery but the most chilling reminder yet that hospital negligence is a silent killer stalking the nation.
As Abati concluded: “We journalists know the risks of our work. But when Nigeria happens to us — when negligence kills us — it is unbearable.”