Attempts to have the police respond to the armed robbery incident at Katampe, Abuja residence of Arise News anchor and producer, Somtochukwu Christelle Maduagwu failed in the early hours of Monday.
Maduagwu and one of the guards at the premises later died at the Maitama District Hospital.
During the station’s Morning Show on Tuesday, one of the presenters, Ms. Ojinika Okpe said Maduagwu had jumped from her apartment in a desperate attempt to escape the intruders.
‘I reached out to our correspondent in Abuja, who detailed the circumstances surrounding her death’, Okpe said.
‘She jumped down from her home when she heard about 14 armed robbers came to her home. She did not die on the spot. She went to the hospital, and she was rejected. Her life could have been saved, but the hospital rejected her’.
According to Arise News, residents of the apartment complex said the attack occurred around 3 am when more than 15 armed robbers stormed the 16-apartment compound.
Witnesses said that security personnel raised an alarm and attempted to contact the police but received no immediate response. The 29-year-old Maduagwu and a security guard, who was also injured in the assault, were rushed to Maitama District Hospital.
However, relatives alleged they were denied urgent treatment because they could not immediately produce identification documents. Both later succumbed to their injuries.
But, the Mandate Secretary on Health of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, Dr. Dolapo Fasawe said that Maduagwu was brought in dead to the Maitama General Hospital.
The incident occurred around 3 am on Monday when about 15 armed men invaded Unique Apartments, a 16-flat four-storey building in the Katampe area of the city.
On Tuesday, Arise News aired a tribute programme titled Sommie Maduagwu: A Life Cut Short, during which colleagues paid emotional tributes.
A co-anchor, Dr. Reuben Abati called for a thorough investigation into the role of medical staff at Maitama District Hospital, adding that security agencies should also probe all circumstances surrounding the incident.
Maduagwu also a trained lawyer before pursuing a career in broadcast journalism.
