In a heart-wrenching interview that lays bare the raw pain of unimaginable loss, Engineer Ifeanyi Maduagwu, father of the late Arise TV presenter Somtochukwu Christella, opened up about the brutal armed robbery that claimed his daughter’s life at her Abuja residence. The 29-year-old journalist, known for her vibrant on-screen presence and fierce advocacy, was killed in the attack, leaving behind a trail of shattered dreams and a family forever altered.
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Maduagwu, an engineer hailing from Agulu in Anambra State, recounted the harrowing moment he learned of the tragedy with a composure that belied the storm within. “Honestly, it was a tragic and devastating experience,” he told this reporter, his voice steady but laced with sorrow. It was a typical Monday morning; Maduagwu had just resumed work and was in high spirits. Around 9:30 to 10 a.m., his elder brother called, urging him to rush to Port Harcourt for an unspecified emergency. Perplexed, Maduagwu initially suspected it might involve his wife, with whom he had spoken just 15 minutes earlier.
Seeking reassurance, he dialed her again, casually saying, “Sweetie, I just wanted to call someone since you were the last person I spoke to.” The innocuous call, however, ignited panic. Unbeknownst to him, his wife had already fielded anxious inquiries from friends unable to reach Somtochukwu that morning. She swiftly contacted Somtochukwu’s elder sister in Abuja and her co-in-law to dispatch a driver to check on the young presenter. Meanwhile, Maduagwu scrambled to secure a company helicopter for a quick exit. But clarity came too late the nightmare had already unfolded.
“No premonition at all,” Maduagwu reflected. “Nobody was sick or anything of that sort. My mind never went in that direction.” By the time the pieces fell into place, his daughter’s life had been extinguished her passion for Nigeria’s future snuffed out in an instant. “It is so painful because, after all her efforts, my daughter’s passion and dreams for Nigeria were cut short,” he said, issuing a poignant plea: “My only plea is that the government should urgently address the issues that continue to put citizens at risk and do more to safeguard lives.”
Somtochukwu’s journey was one of determination and purpose. She pursued her undergraduate studies in the United Kingdom before returning to Nigeria for Law School, followed by her mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), where she proudly collected her certificate. Her father had already secured her ticket for a master’s program abroad, but Somtochukwu demurred. “She insisted she wanted to work for at least two years in Nigeria to gain experience before going back, and she did exactly that,” Maduagwu explained.
True to her word, after those two years, she made the life-altering decision to return permanently a choice kept secret from her father until it was finalized in quiet discussions with her mother. “I didn’t even know she was coming back at that point,” he admitted, accepting it now as “her destiny.” What drove this bold move? An unyielding commitment to her homeland. “Her decision was driven by a genuine desire to make a difference,” Maduagwu shared. “She strongly believed that the way things were going in Nigeria was wrong and that her voice needed to be heard at home. She wanted to be part of the solution to speak up and push for the changes this country desperately needs.”
Those changes loomed large in Somtochukwu’s aspirations. She confided in her father her dreams of uplifting the needy, amplifying women’s voices in politics, and ultimately ascending to the Senate. “Her biggest aspiration was to one day become a senator in Nigeria,” he revealed. The thought of these ambitions forever silenced fills Maduagwu with profound grief. “My brother, it is truly disheartening,” he said simply, the weight of the words hanging heavy.
Yet amid the anguish, Maduagwu clings to the luminous threads of memory. Their most recent father-daughter adventure, from September 4 to 9, 2025, in Tangier, Morocco, stands out as a beacon. “We went to the beach together and also took a city tour on one of those double-decker buses,” he recalled with a faint smile. “It was such a beautiful bonding moment just father and daughter, sharing time and creating lasting memories.”
Somtochukwu’s zest for life colored every corner of her world. Born on December 26, 1995, she was the couple’s first child, doted on as the “handbag of the house” for over five childless years. “Everywhere we went, it was ‘Sommie, Sommie, Sommie,'” Maduagwu reminisced. A natural performer, she lit up parties with her dancing, laughter, and effortless charm. Her upcoming 30th birthday on December 26 was set to be no exception. “She had already planned for it,” her father said. “She said she wanted to go to the village to cook for the kindred, especially the children. She did the same about four years ago when we visited the village, and she was really looking forward to doing it again.”
Even in matters of the heart, Somtochukwu embodied independence. During a family trip to London and Morocco, her mother noted a parade of suitors, but the young woman held firm: “She always said she wanted to first establish herself before thinking about marriage. She didn’t want to be dependent on a man.” Her resolve paid off — she had recently become engaged, though such intimacies were more often shared with her mother.
To Maduagwu, his daughter’s death is an arrow to the heart. “She was such a lively child… full of life. Her death has pierced my heart like an arrow,” he confessed, his voice cracking. What he will miss most is her nurturing spirit the daily calls laced with concern: “Dad, have you eaten? Are you taking good care of yourself? Have you checked your vitals?” Fighting back tears, he added, “It’s not easy, my brother. It’s not easy… I don’t want to cry anymore; the tears I’ve already shed are enough.”
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