By Adesina Soyooye

Two years after Senator Ifeanyi Uba died suddenly in London, July 27, 2024, no thanks to a suspected cardiac arrest, his immediate elder sister,  Mrs Fidelia Ezinwanne Chigbogu, has died, reportedly, same way. She was aged 61.

Mrs. Chigbogu, suddenly passed Sunday morning, October 25, 2026 at her  Lagos residence while getting ready to go to Church.

Ironically, one of her desires that morning was to give testimony in Church on how God saved their lives after a near fire incident at home.

According to her teary and devastated husband, Chudi Chidinma Chigbogu, who fondly called her darling, her death was so sudde, so shocking.

His words: “It was like a shock to me, because even as I am talking to you now, I never believed it.”

According to him, there was an electrical incident  Thursday in the house when their meter exploded and burnt their change-over room.

“My wife said she will give testimony in Church on Sunday and we were preparing for that.

“That Sunday morning, she woke up, there was nothing like headache, nothing like fever, nothing. She finished bathing and was preparing to go to Church. She usually leaves home between 7 and 7:30 a.m. because of roles she plays in the church.

“I went to wash the car because of dust. Around 8 a.m., I called my son and said, why has mummy not come down? Go and check. Only for the boy to go and started screaming that he called his mummy and she did not answer; he lifted her hand and her hand dropped.

“I rushed upstairs and met her lying on the bed unresponsive. I called her names, no way. I alerted neighbours, we carried her to six hospitals. Anywhere we went, they will take me aside and say I didn’t bring her on time, that she has passed on. I said no, it is not possible, until we got to Navy Hospital, where they refused to admit her.”

They then resorted to prayers at home in the hope that she would miraculously wake up. This lasted for hours,  until about 4 p.m. when, according to him, until one woman  told him that she had seen his wife in a vision, moving fast without looking back, and had made it to heaven.

His words: “That was when I changed my mind and allowed ambulance to come. She left here after 6 p.m. and got to the village around 7 a.m. the next day.”

In tears, he said his late wife was a natural leader, peacemaker and philanthropist.

“Aside calling her darling, I called her many names because she was a leader. No matter the case in the family, she would settle it. She is the founder of a women group, played a very big role in the church, known for her charitable work. Before her passing, she was working on her orphanage. Even though she is no more, I will not let her down, I will make sure that project comes to pass.”

Both she and her husband hailed from Nnewi, Anambra State.

By Akinwale Kasali

A 26-year-old Nigerian international student, Obanyeli Jesse Chima, has died of asthma attack while preparing to celebrate his birthday with friends in London.

Chima had recently completed his master’s degree in Public Health and was awaiting graduation when the sad incident occurred.

According to MyLondon, the incident happened on Saturday, September 19, when Chima met his friend, Eva, and her partner to celebrate their birthdays, which fell on consecutive days.

While waiting in a lounge, Chima reportedly told Eva that he needed to step outside for some air because he was experiencing an asthma attack.

He began struggling to breathe and used three inhalers he had with him, but they failed to provide relief.

Eva called an ambulance, but Chima collapsed while she was speaking to the emergency operator.

Eva told MyLondon: “Our friend started CPR after being guided by the ambulance operators. Multiple ambulances came, and they spent around two hours working on him to stabilise his heart. They finally got him to the hospital and told us he’s on life support. They said he might only have memory loss, but he will be fine.

“Two days later, they said he’s not getting better. There was no improvement. They eventually did a brain test on him and confirmed that he was brain-dead. On September 25, we lost him. It’s horrible because we were just laughing, and four days later, we had to see his lifeless body.”

She said the gathering had been planned as an opportunity for the friends to celebrate their birthdays together, as all three were born  in September.

“The weekend he suffered was the only weekend we all had free – all our birthdays are in September. He, my partner, and I all have our birthdays one day after another. That weekend was our chance to hang out, but instead we ended up at the hospital.”

“Chima had recently completed his master’s degree in Public Health and was looking forward to his graduation.

“His family had saved money for his graduation, and now that money needs to be used to bury their child. It’s horrible”, Eva continued.

Chima and Eva became friends after leaving Nigeria to study in London. He had also worked at Chelsea Football Club, the team he supported.

Eva described him as a ‘beloved and cherished friend who was the life of the party’.

Despite being described as physically fit, his sudden death shocked his friends, who had not anticipated such an outcome.

Chima leaves behind three siblings in Nigeria, where his family is making arrangements to bring his body home for burial.

To support the grieving family, Eva and her friends have launched a fundraising campaign to cover the cost of transporting his body to Nigeria, alongside mortuary fees and other related expenses.

Explaining the reason for the fundraiser, Eva said: “We’re trying our best to see what we can raise. His family were planning for graduation. As international students, it’s tough already. We want to help take the burden off his family. Nobody has money saved up to bury a child.

“His dad made enquiries about burying him in the UK but most of his family are in Nigeria. The family want to see his body before they lay him to rest, so returning him to Nigeria makes more sense; he should be closer to home.”

Eva hopes to raise between £7,000 and £9,000 to cover the costs of repatriating Chima’s body to Nigeria.