How Lagos Police Extorted Money From Family Of Woman Killed By Water Tank While Sleeping
Chizoba, a hairdresser and aspiring beauty entrepreneur, was killed on March 18, 2025, at her residence on Number 7, View Avenue, Chevron area of Lagos.
The brother of the late Chizoba Oguzie, a young mother of two who tragically died after a water tank crashed through the roof of her apartment while she was asleep, has accused both the Lagos State Police and a private hospital of exploitation and insensitivity following her death.
Chizoba, a hairdresser and aspiring beauty entrepreneur, was killed on March 18, 2025, at her residence on Number 7, View Avenue, Chevron area of Lagos.
Meanwhile, her elder brother, Amarachi Oguzie, who lives in the United States, described the incident as not just a tragedy but a devastating example of institutional negligence and extortion.
“She didn’t even get a chance to scream for help. Just like that, she was gone,” Amarachi told PUNCH.
“She went to bed expecting to wake up, but she never did. She didn’t deserve this. No one does.”
According to Amarachi, the water tank stand collapsed during the day while Chizoba was resting at home after work.
However, the full tank smashed through the building’s roof and landed directly on her bed.
“It’s heartbreaking. She had just returned from work, freshened up, and lay down to rest. That was it,” he recounted. “It happened so suddenly and violently that she never woke up.”
Despite efforts by neighbours to save her, she was declared dead on arrival at a nearby hospital.
In a shocking revelation, Amarachi alleged that the hospital demanded a payment of N250,000 before releasing her body, despite confirming she was dead on arrival.
“I asked, ‘Why are you charging this money when she was brought in dead?’ The doctor said it was hospital policy. I didn’t want her body to start decaying, so I paid immediately,” Amarachi said.
However, the hospital added another hurdle, demanding a police report before releasing the corpse.
When Favour Nnanna — the lady who sublet the apartment to Chizoba — volunteered to help obtain the police report, the extortion allegedly continued.
“She went to the police station, but officers there demanded N100,000 just to let her make a statement,” Amarachi said.
“When I asked for an official account number to pay, they refused and told me to send the money to a PoS operator’s account.”
Amarachi said he had no choice but to comply, as the delay was compounding the family’s grief.
The family’s attempts to reach the actual owner of the property where the tragedy occurred had been unsuccessful.
