Fresh details emerge about d£ath of 29-year-old Arise TV Journalist in Abuja r0bbery one year later

Fresh details emerge about death of 29-year-old Arise TV Journalist in Abuja robbery one year later

Fresh details have emerged in the case surrounding the death of 29-year-old Arise TV journalist Somtochukwu Maduagwu, who died during an armed robbery at Unique Apartments in Katampe, Abuja, one year ago.

Maduagwu, who was born on December 26, 1995, died in the early hours of September 29, 2025, during the robbery attack at her residence.

Initial reports indicated that the Arise News anchor fell from the third floor of the apartment while attempting to escape from the robbers. However, a police witness has now told an FCT High Court that the suspects allegedly confessed that Maduagwu was pushed from the building. HealthInformation Blog

 

The new development emerged during the ongoing trial of 11 suspects allegedly linked to the journalist’s death and the killing of a security guard, Barnabas Danlami, during the robbery.

Testifying before Justice Mohammed Idris on Tuesday, September 29, Assistant Superintendent of Police Douglas Ishaku told the court that the defendants were members of a larger criminal syndicate allegedly involved in criminal activities in Abuja.

 

Ishaku, a member of the police’s Scorpion Squad, said he and his colleague, Maxwell Eje, obtained confessional statements from the suspects during the investigation.

According to the police witness, the defendants admitted to their involvement in the robbery and the circumstances surrounding Maduagwu’s death.

The court heard that Maduagwu fell from the three-storey apartment during the attack, while Danlami, who was on duty as a security guard at the premises, was shot and killed.

 

The prosecution requested to tender a video recording showing the defendants while their confessional statements were being documented.

Following the request, the judge granted the prosecution’s application and adjourned the case until October 7 for continuation of the trial.

The latest testimony has brought renewed attention to the circumstances surrounding Maduagwu’s death, which occurred exactly one year before the latest court proceedings.

View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Ije-Luv (@ijeomadaisy)

‘She would never jump ’- Father of late Arise TV journalist
Ifeanyi Maduagwu, father of late Arise Television journalist Somtochukwu Maduagwu, has rejected claims that his daughter fell to her death while trying to escape armed robbers, insisting that she was murdered.

Speaking in an interview with BBC Igbo, Maduagwu said the accounts surrounding his daughter’s death did not add up and called on the police to thoroughly investigate the incident to uncover the truth.

According to him, he does not believe that Somtochukwu, whom he described as someone who valued her life, could have voluntarily jumped from a three-storey building.

 

“I know that my first daughter, Sommie Tochukwu Christelle Maduagwa, whom I gave birth to, would not have jumped from a three-storey building,” he said.

Maduagwu also questioned the account that one of the armed robbers allegedly held his daughter but lost his grip because of her weight, causing her to fall from the building.

He maintained that the circumstances surrounding her death suggested that something else happened.

“For somebody to be telling me that she jumped, and one of the armed robbers claimed to have held her, and her weight was overwhelming for him, and she fell off, looks funny. I believe that my daughter was murdered,” he said.

The bereaved father further described Somtochukwu as someone who loved life and said he found it difficult to believe that she would have jumped from such a height.

“Sommie loved her life so much. If you keep her on a table and ask her to jump down, she can’t, let alone from a three-storey building. That is a lie,” he added.

He urged the police to conduct a proper investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death, saying the truth about what happened remained unclear.

“I want the police to investigate the incident properly to unravel the truth because the truth is still hidden,” he said.

Somtochukwu died during an armed robbery attack at Unique Apartments in Katampe, Abuja, in September 2025. During the incident, the estate’s security guard, Barnabas Danlami, was reportedly shot and killed.

The journalist was reported to have fallen from the third floor of her apartment while attempting to escape the attackers.

However, her father has continued to dispute the account that she died after accidentally falling while fleeing the robbers.

Maduagwu also expressed concern over the delay in getting medical attention for his daughter after she fell.

He said he was informed that help was requested immediately after the incident, but assistance did not arrive quickly enough.

According to him, even after Somtochukwu was taken to the hospital, there was reportedly a delay in attending to her because hospital officials requested her identification documents.

He said the alleged delay further deepened the family’s pain following the tragic incident.

“My daughter, I know, can never jump from a storey building just because she saw årmed røbbers. I strongly believe my daughter, Sommie, was mvrdered.”

—Engr. Ifeanyi Maduagwu, father of the late Arise TV anchor, Somtochukwu Maduagwu, who d!ed during an årmed røbbery att@ck at… pic.twitter.com/11wDKSaHKM

— CHUKS 🍥 (@ChuksEricE) October 20, 2025