Katampe, the Abuja community where the late Arise TV journalist, Somtochukwu “Sommie” Maduagwu, lived, and its neighbouring areas have been under siege by armed robbers for several years, residents have said.
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Ms Maduagwu, 29, a lawyer and news anchor with the television station, died on Monday, 29 September, from injuries she sustained after robbers invaded the block of six flats where she lived in the early hours of the day.
The incident has sparked widespread criticism of Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.
FCT Police Commissioner, Ajao Adewale, explained that the journalist lost her life while attempting to escape the robbers by jumping from her third-floor apartment in the three-storey building.
He added that one of the two private guards on duty sustained a gunshot wound while confronting the intruders.
“Some hoodlums, specifically armed robbers, gained access into Unique Apartment, where Sommie lives. It is a three-story twin building with 18 flats around the Gishiri axis of Katampe, under the Mabushi Division. Two guards were on duty, and one who dared to challenge them sustained a gunshot injury. Out of fear, Sommie jumped from the top floor. The consequences are what we are seeing. It’s so sad, so unfortunate,” the commissioner told Arise TV.
The FCT police command has since announced that it ordered “a discreet and comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident” and deployed intelligence and operational assets in the area to track and apprehend those responsible.
When PREMIUM TIMES visited the apartment complex, it was gathered that other tenants had fled following the robbery that claimed Ms Maduagwu’s life, though reporters were denied access to the compound.
Residents of Katampe in the Bwari Area Council said incessant robbery attacks have become a way of life in the community and neighbouring settlements such as Mpape, Gishiri, and Apo.
They alleged that despite repeated attacks, police have done little to stop them.
“Recently, two houses here on the same street where the presenter died were robbed too,” one resident, who requested anonymity, said.
Another resident, Mubarak Saliu, narrated his ordeal: “Last year, while working at my boss’ place on this same street, robbers came at night and carted away expensive properties.”
Kate, another resident of Katampe 1, expressed fear for her family. “I am losing my sanity gradually. We face armed robbery almost daily. I can’t sleep at night. It’s worse when there is no light or when it rains. Nobody has ever been arrested. The police seem completely incapacitated or unwilling to act.”
A livestock farmer, Mr. Ogene, also lamented that his business was destroyed after robbers stole all his animals in September.
“These communities are just a few kilometres from Aso Rock Villa, yet criminals operate freely,” he said.
Residents said the inadequacy of the police had forced them to set up vigilante groups.
“In the whole of Gishiri, we have only one police post with two or three officers. They don’t even have a rifle. The community had to gather vigilantes who now help,” a POS operator told PREMIUM TIMES.
But others said the vigilantes have worsened the situation. “We can’t even say if it’s the vigilantes or the robbers again,” Kate said.
Residents also accused the police of indifference. Mr. Saliu recalled: “The night robbers attacked my boss’ place, we called Mabushi police, but they didn’t come. They said they had no fuel.”
Even when vigilantes caught a thief, residents alleged, the police released him shortly after.
When contacted, FCT Police spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, denied knowledge of incessant robberies in the area. “We have not received such reports. We have police presence in those areas and work closely with the community,” she said.
Her uncle, Engineer Obi Maduagwu, speaking in Port Harcourt, described the shock of receiving the tragic news. He said the family pieced events together from calls and photos sent from the scene and hospital.
Convincing Sommie’s father, who was offshore on duty, to return home required urgent intervention by his colleagues at Shell. A helicopter was arranged to fly him back to Port Harcourt that same day.
Engr. Maduagwu described Sommie as independent-minded and passionate about national service. “She left the UK, where she was earning more, because she wanted Nigeria to work. She believed in a better society,” he said.
The late journalist had once revealed in an Arise TV interview her interest in politics, particularly women’s empowerment, and championed the call for more Senate seats for women. A former beauty queen, she was described by her family as strong-willed and self-driven.
Her uncle said she deliberately chose journalism over law because she “wanted a platform to express herself.” He recalled that her comment—“Let Nigeria not happen to you”—made days before her death now feels like a premonition.
He lamented Nigeria’s insecurity and slow emergency response. “If police had arrived on time, this tragedy could have been prevented. In the UK, distress calls are answered in minutes,” he said, adding that hospitals’ insistence on ID cards or police reports before treatment remains another dangerous obstacle to saving lives.
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