The International Press Centre (IPC) has called for a full-scale investigation into the death of Ms Somtochukwu Christelle Maduagwu, a news anchor and producer with Arise News Channel, who died after an armed gang attack in Abuja on September 29, 2025.
Reports from Arise News Daybreak indicated that about 15 armed men stormed Unique Apartments in Katampe around 3:00 a.m., attacking all 16 flats in the compound. Security guards raised an alarm and alerted the police, but no response was reportedly received.
Maduagwu was taken to Maitama District Hospital, where she died. Relatives alleged that hospital staff delayed treatment until her identification was produced.
In a statement on Tuesday, IPC’s Executive Director, Lanre Arogundade, demanded a thorough and independent investigation, warning that failure to act would embolden attackers and worsen threats to press freedom.
The centre urged the police to publish the outcome of their probe, called for reforms in Nigeria’s emergency and healthcare systems, and demanded accountability from the hospital over the alleged treatment delay. It also renewed calls for justice in previous unresolved killings of journalists.
Between 1992 and 2024, at least 22 Nigerian journalists have died in suspicious circumstances, according to IPC monitoring records.
