She was bright. She was beautiful. She combined brain and beauty, courage and conviction. At just 29, Ms. Somotochukwu Christelle Maduagwu was an attorney, a rising broadcaster, and an advocate for women, children, and her beloved nation. She could have remained in Britain, where she held citizenship, but she chose to return to Nigeria, the land she loved to help make it work.

But Nigeria failed her.

All her passion and patriotism could not shield her from the bullets of armed robbers, allegedly in the supposed safety of her own home in the Federal Capital Territory. Reports say the police were alerted during the robbery, yet there was no response. She gave her heart to a nation that could not give her protection.

The Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, CP Ajao Adewale, has extended condolences to her family, friends, and colleagues. But tell me: is the police force a commiseration body, or is it a constitutionally mandated institution saddled with the security and welfare of the people? What Nigerians need is not sympathy, they need safety.

And her tragedy did not end at the robbery. Nigeria failed her twice. When rushed to a hospital, she was reportedly rejected for lack of identification, losing precious time until it was too late. Do we blame the hospital? Partly. But in fairness, hospitals in Nigeria have been punished in the past by state authorities for acting swiftly without paperwork. Like the robber, the hospital too is a reflection of the Nigerian state, broken systems that normalize death.

Even the imposed 1999 Constitution says clearly: “The security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.” That is the social contract. And when citizens die daily at the hands of bandits, robbers, and kidnappers, the contract is broken.

Yes, tragedy happens everywhere. But here, tragedy has been normalized. Here, it has become a phrase: “Nigeria happened.”

Christelle knew this. Friends say she once feared “Nigeria happening to her.” Yet she stood tall anyway. Now she has fallen.

And she is not alone. Days earlier, young lawyers, fresh from their Call to Bar were kidnapped along Abuja corridors, with ransoms between ₦20 million and ₦100 million reportedly demanded. Just last week, another journalist, Ojo Peter, formerly of Parrot Extra and Daily Monitor was reportedly killed by armed robbers, as highlighted by veteran journalist and advocate Mr. Lanre Arogundade, who expressed sadness and concerns both Peter’s death and Christelle’s murder.

Lamentation is not enough. Even the wicked can lament. Condolences without change are nothing but a toothless bulldog, a soaked paper tiger.

We must situate these killings, kidnappings, and crimes within Nigeria’s unresolved national question. They are not accidents; they are the direct symptoms of a failed state and of a leadership class insulated from the people’s pain.

So what must be done? We must organize, through parties, civic platforms, and uncompromising electoral reforms that open up politics to genuine participation. We must demand accountability and make security and dignity non-negotiable deliverables.

The blood of Christelle, Ojo Peter, Barnabas, the brave security guard who fell while resisting the armed men who invaded Christelle’s estate and the countless others, must water the tree of justice, righteousness, and change.

We call on God to help Nigeria. But let us be honest: God has helped. It is now our duty to enforce that help, by standing, organizing, demanding, and acting.

Christelle’s life was a light. Her death is a wound. Let it also be a trumpet, calling us not just to mourn, but to move.