Nigerian lawyer turned caregiver in UK collapses at work and dies

Ezenyili was at her workplace, attending to an elderly client, Ian Hale in Scott Road, when she suddenly slumped, leading to her collapse while on duty.

It was gathered that before Ezenyili migrated to the UK, she was practising law in Nigeria. Since she flew abroad, she had been caring for Hale for the past five months alongside her husband, Friday, both of whom relocated in August 2023 to provide their toddler daughter, Mandy, with a brighter future.

Recounting the incident, Catherine Segal, Hale’s daughter stated that despite feeling unwell, Ezenyili continued her duties out of commitment to her responsibilities.

“She (Ezenyili) was driven there by her husband with their three-year-old daughter as she wasn’t feeling well but didn’t want to let my dad down,” Segal was quoted as saying.

Speaking further, Segal said the caregiver collapsed, stopped breathing and did not have a pulse. “Naturally, her husband started shouting for help. The neighbourhood raced to help. Myself and my husband ran outside along with our next-door neighbour and our neighbour from across the road. We had two GoodSAM first responders arrive shortly after to assist. The community first responder along with several ambulances, police and the critical care team arrived to take over attempts to save her life and were successful in getting her on life support in the ambulance.”

Segal said the deceased was taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, where doctors at the neurosciences critical care unit discovered she had suffered a severe brain haemorrhage.

In his narration, Segal’s husband, Saul said the deceased was qualified in law in Nigeria and was planning to attain her qualifications to practise law in the UK after her sponsorship as a caregiver finished.