‘My daughter didn’t jump, something happened’- Father of Somtochukwu Maduagwu

Engineer Ifeanyi Maduagwu, father of Somtochukwu Maduagwu, the late Arise TV journalist, has called on the police and security agencies to investigate the real cause of his daughter’s death, insisting that reports about how she died “don’t add up.”

Somtochukwu died on the night of September 29 after assailants reportedly attacked her residence in Katampe, Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

While some early reports claimed she was killed by robbers, others alleged she fell from a three-storey building while trying to escape from the attackers — an account her father has flatly denied.

In an interview with BBC Igbo in Port Harcourt, Mr. Maduagwu said:

“What I know is that my daughter, Sommie Tochukwu Christelle Maduagwu, did not and would never jump from a building.”

He added:

“I believe my daughter was killed.”

The grieving father described his daughter as intelligent, lively, and someone who was afraid of heights. He lamented that she didn’t get timely help after the incident.

“I heard that when it happened, they called for help but none came quickly.
Even when she was taken to the hospital, they delayed attending to her because they asked for identification papers. All those things broke my heart,” he said.

Her father recalled his last conversation with her:

“We talked about so many things, but what made me happy was that she said she was ready to settle down soon.”

He described her as deeply compassionate:

“Somtochukwu cared about others. When she woke up, all she thought about was how to make life better for people.
She always said she wanted to change how things are done in Nigeria.
She wanted to go into politics someday — maybe even become a senator.”