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| Ruth Otabor dies after tragic truck crash |
Ruth Otabor, the younger sister of Big Brother Naija Season 7 winner Phyna, has died after weeks of fighting injuries she suffered in a road crash with a truck linked to the Dangote Group.
The family released a statement through their lawyers and the news was shared on Phyna’s verified social channels. The statement said Ruth passed away at about 6:30 a.m. on Sunday, August 31, 2025.
The crash happened near Auchi Polytechnic, Edo State, on August 13, 2025. Eyewitnesses who spoke to local reporters said a heavy-duty truck struck Ruth, crushing her left leg before bystanders stopped the vehicle. She was taken to hospital and later had the injured limb removed. Those events and the operation were reported by multiple outlets in the days after the accident.
Friends and fans first learned the full scale of her injuries when Phyna posted updates and pushed for answers about what happened. The family, through Eko Solicitors & Advocates, later made a formal announcement about the death. Local newsrooms republished the family statement and carried the timeline.
Hospital staff and family members had been caring for Ruth since the crash, according to reporters who visited the scene and followed hospital updates. Official medical details remain in the hands of the treating clinicians and the family’s legal team, who said they would give further notices when appropriate.
The truck involved in the accident has been widely described in reports as linked to the Dangote Group. Local police and reporters said the vehicle was chased and stopped by people at the scene after attempts to flee. The company and law enforcement later said they were looking into the incident, and Dangote Cement was reported to have offered to assist with medical needs earlier in the aftermath.
The accident stirred strong reactions online. Supporters of Phyna and many who read the early reports expressed shock and anger, calling for a full probe and for those responsible to be held to account. Some commenters posted footage that showed parts of the chaotic scene, which journalists traced back to eyewitnesses near Auchi Poly.
Ruth graduated from Auchi Polytechnic just days before the crash. That detail, reported by community outlets and repeated by national press, added to the sense of tragedy around the event. Reports said she had been celebrating the milestone with family when the crash happened six days after her graduation ceremony.
In the days after the crash, health updates and legal steps became the focus. Phyna used her platform to call attention to Ruth’s condition and to press for answers. Local media covered the family’s interactions with authorities, which included demand for a clearer account of how a heavy-duty truck came to strike a recent graduate near a school area.
Several national outlets that later reported Ruth’s death also carried background on the response from Dangote Cement. Industry spokespeople, as quoted indirectly through reporting, said they were aware of the case and had begun to offer support to the injured. Journalists tracked statements and noted that follow-up from the company and police would be part of any eventual inquiry.
Across social feeds, sympathizers posted photos of Ruth and messages to the family. Some posts showed the scene where the crash took place; others shared hospital images. Reporters who followed those posts used them to verify the timeline and the location. The family has asked for privacy while they make arrangements, and lawyers for the Otabor family handled the official notice of death.
Police records and the formal legal steps triggered by the case are moving at the pace such inquiries often take. Local law enforcement said they would investigate the cause, the conduct of the driver, and any responsibility that may fall to the truck’s owner or operator. Journalists reminded readers that criminal or civil findings require formal evidence and a court process.
Community leaders in Auchi and human rights watchers followed the story closely. The crash reopened wider debates about road safety, heavy vehicle routes near schools, and the rules that govern large commercial trucks moving through populated areas. Those broader safety questions were raised by community members and covered by national reporters in follow-up pieces.
Medical sources reached by reporters during the first days after the crash described the kind of emergency care Ruth received. They explained how severe limb injuries can quickly become life-threatening when blood loss or infection take hold. Journalists treated those medical descriptions as background context while relying on the hospital and the family for confirmed facts about Ruth’s care.
Family friends and people close to Phyna said the household was grieving and had begun private arrangements. Media teams respected the family’s request for privacy while still reporting the confirmed facts the lawyers released. Several credible newsrooms republished the family statement and added local reporting to explain the known timeline.
As of the family statement, funeral plans were not yet public. The lawyers who issued the notice asked for space for the family to mourn and said they would share further details in due course through official channels. Journalists covering the story said they would wait for official confirmations rather than rely on social speculation.
The Otabor family’s announcement names Ruth as a young graduate who had just stepped into adult life when the crash changed everything. The facts so far — the date of the crash, the location near Auchi Polytechnic, the reported link to a Dangote truck, the leg injury and operation, and the confirmed time of death at about 6:30 a.m. on August 31 — are what news outlets have verified through family statements, hospital notices, eyewitness accounts, and company and police responses.
This report is based on the family’s public notice and multiple national news reports that covered the crash, the medical response, and the follow-up actions by authorities and company representatives. The family legal statement confirmed the time of death and asked for privacy while further announcements are prepared.
