Somtochukwu Maduagwu Murder: Even the Rich Aren’t Safe in Nigeria

 Arise News Correspondent Somtochukwu Maduagwu Killed in Abuja Robbery — A Stark Reminder That No One Is Truly Safe

Arise News has announced the tragic death of Somtochukwu Christelle Maduagwu, a 29-year-old correspondent, producer, and lawyer, who was killed during an armed robbery at her residence in Katampe, Abuja.

This heartbreaking incident highlights a painful reality: in Nigeria, whether you are rich or poor, safety is not guaranteed.

We have seen similar tragedies before. For instance, the case of Junior Pope, the Nollywood actor who died after a boat accident in 2024, exposed the weaknesses of Nigeria’s emergency and safety systems. His death wasn’t due to a lack of money but due to systemic failures.

Somtochukwu’s killing took place in Katampe, one of Abuja’s upscale areas, underscoring the fact that even living in wealthy neighborhoods does not shield anyone from insecurity.

Nigeria’s security challenges affect everyone — money alone can’t guarantee protection. This tragedy is yet another reminder of the urgent need for stronger security measures and functional emergency response systems.

Lessons From Church: Dancing Away Burdens and Learning Patience

The Beauty of Being in Church

There is something beautiful about being in church. Your burdens and little problems are forgotten — especially when you dance your problems away.

But coming to church isn't just about praising God. I'm not saying that praising God is the wrong idea or anything; in fact, it's one of the main ideologies.

Aside from that, when you come to church, you also come to learn. Coming to church means learning new things in a big fellowship.

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📖 The Little Things Matter

Most churches simply open the Bible and go — they take one or two scriptures and move on, thinking they have finished the service. I am not writing this to criticize anyone, and I don’t intend to. But I believe it’s the little things that matter.

Honestly, it feels so refreshing after our Sunday service in church — learning new things.

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🩺 A Talk on Rhesus Factor

Two Sundays ago, we had a talk on the Rhesus factor, and I was surprised that many didn’t know about it. My knowledge about the Rhesus factor came a few weeks earlier in school.

Rhesus factor and knowledge about it are very important because it affects pregnancy.

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https://open.substack.com/pub/mesoma/p/rhesus-factor-the-hidden-pregnancy?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=6kcfy7

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⏳ Waiting With Patience

This Sunday, we learnt about “waiting with patience.” For me, it wasn’t really about the topic itself but the fact that I learnt something new.

It was about working towards what you want to achieve with faith. Don’t wait to get it before you start preparing.

Someone gave an example of a person who got a job abroad but couldn’t go because he didn’t have an international passport. He lost the opportunity despite waiting because he wasn’t prepared.

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🙏 Preparation and Patience

It’s not just about waiting on the Lord, but about how prepared you are when the thing you are praying for finally comes.

Joseph didn’t wake up one day and become a prime minister — he was prepared and edified by God.

David didn’t suddenly become king even after killing Goliath; he led small crowds before God entrusted him to lead many.

Sometimes it’s not just about waiting with patience, but about how prepared you are. Sometimes God withholds our miracles because we’re not prepared to receive them.

Billy Vigar’s Death: FIFA’s Failure to Protect Players From Concrete Wall Collisions

 Former Arsenal academy player Billy Vigar has died while playing for Chichester United, as confirmed by the club. The 21-year-old succumbed to severe head trauma after colliding with a concrete wall. He was placed in an emergency induced coma but sadly passed away just a few days later.

While the thoughts of everyone in the world are with Vigar and his family, Billy’s death must also be seen as part of a broader failure — not just by FIFA but by the entire football world — to ensure the safety of footballers.

Vigar collided with a concrete wall used to hold an advertising board which, according to reports, was positioned too close to the pitch. First and foremost, a concrete wall should be nowhere near a football pitch. Concrete walls may be used for crowd control or structural purposes, but everyone knows their main function today is to hold advertising boards. So why should people lose their lives simply because of an advertising board?

When running — and footballers do run — it is difficult to slow momentum. It’s just like driving a car at high speed: if you suddenly slam the brakes, the car may somersault or crash. In the same way, when concrete walls are placed too close to the pitch, footballers often cannot slow down in time, leading to collisions.

FIFA does have regulations on the distance between concrete walls and the pitch, recommending 3–6 metres of clearance. However, FIFA has done little to enforce its own rules, choosing instead to function mainly as a revenue-generating body. In high-tier competitions where the world is watching, walls and advertising boards are kept at a safe distance. But in lower-tier leagues, dangerous walls continue to be placed right next to the pitch.

Vigar’s death is not the first to occur under such circumstances. In 2008, Croatian footballer Hrvoje Ćustić of NK Zadar died in hospital after colliding with a concrete wall. In 2015, Emanuel Ortega, playing in Argentina’s fifth tier, died after striking a wall just one metre from the touchline. More recently, in 2022, Alex Fletcher, while playing for Bath City, sustained a severe head injury from a wall collision that eventually forced him into retirement.

The truth is, no one seems to care enough about the safety of these players. To many fans, footballers earn large sums of money, so they should “just go out and play.” But that mindset ignores the risks. It is sad that FIFA, while raising awareness about concussions, has failed to address one of the main causes of such injuries — unsafe stadium design.

And to the players: no one will protect you but yourselves. Stop playing on unsafe pitches. Because if you die, people’s thoughts will be with your family for a few days — and then life simply goes on.

Victor Osimhen Returns to Galatasaray Squad After Injury Ahead of Liverpool Clash

Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen has returned to the Galatasaray squad after missing nearly three weeks and three matches due to an ankle strain he picked up from a rough tackle in Nigeria’s World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda. The Nigerian star, who is Turkey’s most expensive signing, was forced to sit out key fixtures, including their UCL opener against Frankfurt, where they were thrashed 5-1.

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According to Galatasaray coach Okan Buruk, Osimhen is expected to be fully ready for the Liverpool match. Turkish journalist Yakup Cinar also reported that he is likely to get some minutes in the Alanyaspor match tomorrow. However, in the crucial UCL game against Liverpool—after their heavy loss without him—he is expected to be in the starting XI, pending any late changes

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This news is seen as a major boost for Galatasaray fans, many of whom have questioned why their €75m record signing has yet to take the field since sustaining the injury with the national team. Some even criticized the decision to release their most expensive player—and the most expensive signing in Turkish league history—for international duty, only for him to return injured.

In addition, there was a clear contrast between the diagnosis of the Super Eagles’ doctors and that of the Galatasaray medical staff. While the national team doctors diagnosed him with a shin bruise, Galatasaray’s medical team confirmed it was an ankle strain, which kept him out for about 13 days.

The Power of PR: How Yamal Beat Raphinha to Second Place in the Ballon d’Or

Lamine Yamal finished second in the Ballon d'Or ahead of his Barcelona teammate Raphinha. While no one is shocked — after all, many people were gunning for Yamal to win over Ousmane Dembélé — looking at it objectively, it was Barcelona’s PR that not only propelled Yamal to second but also pushed Raphinha down the rankings. After all, Raphinha was once a favorite to win the Ballon d'Or, but “Mr. 9 La Liga goals from La Masia” received the biggest PR push. And doesn’t it make sense for an academy kid to win the Ballon d'Or? I mean, Michael Olise had a great season and was placed at number 30 simply because of a lack of PR. So I maintain that PR is what pushed Yamal to the top.

#OkanBurukIstifa Trends as Galatasaray Fans Demand Coach’s Resignation After Frankfurt Humiliation

Galatasaray fans are trending the hashtag #OkanBurukIstifa, which when translated into Turkish means Okan Buruk resign. The fans of Turkey’s biggest and most successful club, Galatasaray, are now calling for coach Okan Buruk’s resignation after taking a beating from Frankfurt in their UCL opener.

The problem didn’t just start today, with fans who are not satisfied with just winning in the league. Since coach Okan took over, Galatasaray has been the most successful team in the Turkish Super Lig, winning three consecutive titles and even almost going unbeaten in the last one. However, in Europe, it has been a different story.

Fans aren’t satisfied, especially when the management promised a great European campaign with the tag #HedefAvrupa. Galatasaray is the Turkish team that has spent the most on transfer fees, though on fewer players. The truth, in my opinion, is that Galatasaray prioritized quality over quantity. After all, isn’t it Fenerbahce, who replaced their entire starting XI, that almost lost to Alanyaspor? Didn’t Beşiktaş, who bought every player they could, just lose to Göztepe? So what seems to be the problem? After all, last year Galatasaray beat Tottenham, the reigning Europa League champions, but bent over for teams like Malmö and Dynamo Kiev.

A Galatasaray fan said: “I won’t be surprised if we have a higher chance of beating Liverpool than Bodo/Glimt. For years we have bent over for village teams. It is a psychological problem.”

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Another accused the coach of being successful in Turkey only because he is a Turkish coach and understands only the Turkish league. However, others are calling for coach Okan’s resignation, claiming that with this squad they can win the league without any coach. Okan was compared with coach Fatih Terim, the most successful coach in Turkey and Galatasaray’s history, who won the Europa League and Super Cup with Okan Buruk as part of his squad. One fan said: “Fatih Terim was given a budget of £30m, yet he came back without conceding a goal against Barcelona with a squad of lower quality than the present GS squad. Okan Buruk was given £150m, yet he ate five from Frankfurt.”

Another added: “If coach Okan was given Fatih Terim’s squad, he would have sent us into relegation. #OkanBurukIstifa.”

Others have called for the resignation of the management and even the technical staff, noting that the training is not good enough.

“How can Gabriel Sara, who came to us scoring 14 goals and 13 assists in Norwich City, suddenly become trash? Icardi is obese and the technical staff is not doing anything about it. Is there something wrong with our training? How can Lemina, who tore apart the Fenerbahce match by himself when he came, suddenly not run anymore? All of them need to resign,” one angry fan wrote.

However, some are drawing conclusions from the Frankfurt match, noting that they started well but lost along the line due to individual mistakes. Some have criticized the captain at that time, Yunus Akgün, for his selfishness and repeatedly losing the ball.

One wrote: “Yunus Akgün lost the ball and was making gestures to Ilkay instead of passing the ball. This is Galatasaray, this is not your father’s farm, man. You can’t lose the ball and be making gestures to stars like Ilkay. Who the hell are you?”

Another wrote about Yunus: “Yunus, what the hell was that, man? Why can’t you pass the ball? If you keep being selfish with the ball, you will be benched.”

Another questioned the coach’s logic in the second half when subbing in Icardi for Lemina:

“We are losing 3-1. What does coach Okan do? He empties the midfield, bringing in an obese guy (Icardi) and removing Lemina. After Icardi came, we conceded 2 more.”

Another spoke about Galatasaray’s fighting spirit: “When we conceded a goal, I saw the despair on the faces of the players. You concede a goal and you lose the will to fight?”

So, what really led to Galatasaray’s loss?

Was it Osimhen’s absence, the team’s stupidity, or the coach’s technical ability?

A Book Says Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad—But The Truth Is, We All Are”

A Book Says Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad"

I haven’t been to Lagos for two years now. But as the school session drew to a close, I knew I had to do everything possible to come back for the holidays. Even before we finished our exams, I started reminding my dad of the promise he made to me last year—that I would travel back home.

I live in Lagos with my parents, but as an indigene of Enugu, I returned there for university together with my two brothers, where we stay with my grandma. My dad had assured me last year that I would be allowed to come back without any hassles, but I could tell my parents, especially my dad, were worried. I had never traveled alone, and being the only girl, the protective attitude was understandable.

Also, I was (well, still am) very tiny—tiny enough that someone could just slip me inside a “pako” sack and no one would notice.

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Luckily for me—or unluckily, depending on how you see it—my dad was scheduled to attend the burial ceremony of a close friend in Anambra State. He came to Enugu earlier and stayed with us. During his stay, I reminded him repeatedly that I would be traveling back with him. He agreed, so the plan was to go with my dad and his friend to the burial in Anambra before continuing on to Lagos.

But before that, my dad decided that all of us—my brothers and I—should first visit Nenwe in Aninri, which is my village. It was there that I had the most peaceful sleep I’d had in a long time.

On Tuesday, my dad, his friend, and I left around 7 a.m. His friend drove us in a Highlander to Anambra. However, as we searched for the particular town where the burial was being held, we got lost and confused by the many towns with similar names. Eventually, we found our way to Nnobi, where we attended the solemn affair.

What pained me the most about the burial was watching his little children—who could not have been more than ten years old—pour sand on their father’s grave.

After the burial, we spent the night in Anambra and continued the journey the next day.

One interesting thing I noticed about Anambra is that they are suffering. Tell me, why would you see signs reading “Solution is here” or “Soludo is working” every five kilometers? Why would a governor who is truly working need to announce it so loudly?

Anyway, that one has passed. Nothing remarkable happened again on the road—until we got to Lagos.

A book says nearly all the men in Lagos are mad. Well, that’s not true. It’s not just the men—everyone, the men, women, children, and even myself—we are all mad.

In Lagos, I was terrified. Everyone drove like lunatics through the madness of Oshodi traffic. And then there was the stench. Still, despite it all, I am happy to be back home.