Representatives of Dangote Group on Sunday collected the remains of Ruth Otabor, the younger sister of Big Brother Naija Season 7 winner, Phyna, from the hospital where she died.
Ruth, who had a leg amputation after being hit by a truck linked to the Dangote Group near Auchi Polytechnic, Edo State, on Wednesday, died on Sunday morning, weeks after the accident.
The bereaved family announced her death on Sunday through a statement by Eko Solicitors & Advocates, saying Ruth passed on to glory earlier at about 6:30 a.m.
“With a heavy heart, the family regrets to announce the passing on to glory of their daughter, sister, and mother on this 31st day of August, 2025, at about 06:30 hrs,” the statement read.
The family also stated that they are grieving and requested privacy to mourn Ruth.
“The family is presently grieving and will appreciate being given a private moment to mourn the departed. The funeral arrangement will be communicated to the public in due course,” the statement added.
According to a family source, representatives of Dangote Group were immediately contacted after Ruth’s death and subsequently took her body to the mortuary.
“When she died this morning, the representatives of Dangote Group were contacted and notified. They later came and took the corpse to the mortuary. We are expecting that they take over the expenses of her burial, since they had stepped in to take over her medical expenses,” the source who pleaded anonymity said.
Another relative, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the mourning period, described Ruth as a cheerful and affectionate person.
“We will miss her. We had thought she would survive after she started recuperating. She was very loving to be with. We used to call her Bobo, which was her nickname. She stayed with her parents at Ketu-Alapere, from where they often visited our family house in Omojua Estate, Kosofe,” the relative said.
Eyewitnesses informed our correspondent that the heavy-duty truck that struck Otabor smashed her leg before being tracked down and stopped by a bystander.
Phyna insisted that her sister be flown to India for medical care.
However, the Dangote Group acknowledged the incident, adding that its team went to the area, spoke with law enforcement, and met with the family at Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital in Edo State.
The company promised complete medical support and reimbursement in accordance with its welfare policy.
