THE mother of a 17-year-old girl from Basingstoke who died suddenly after going out for a night out with friends has paid tribute to her “amazing” daughter.

Aliya Agwu died at Southampton hospital on Monday, August 21 after being taken there by ambulance following a night out at an event with her friends.

The mother of the Queen Mary’s College (QMC) student is still waiting for answers as to how her daughter died, after rushing to the hospital to be by her side.

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Reliving the moment, Faye Agwu, from Buckfast Close, in Popley, said: “It was the worst day of my life. She was such a big personality in our family.

“She left the house in the afternoon. I was outside with her brother and she shouted out the window ‘Mum, where are you going?’ She said she would walk with me to the shops but she went a different way and we didn’t get to see each other.

“She got a lift from the shop to a friend’s house and they all got a train together.”

Faye, who has two other children – aged three and six - said she went to bed that evening but set an alarm for 11.30pm to give Aliya a call if she had not returned home by then.

But at 11.10pm she answered a call from one of Aliya’s friends who said she had been taken to hospital and was very ill.

“She was in a critical condition,” said Faye, adding: “I was with her at the end. The whole family was with her. She was on life support. I got to hold her hand and be with her.

“They said she was in critical condition and I was praying. She fought really hard.”

The 36-year-old mum-of-three, who works as a carer, said Aliya’s heart stopped on the way to hospital and then again when she was admitted. 

“They were trying to resuscitate her. I was just praying she would be okay. Please just give her a chance and be okay, and pleading to anyone,” said Faye.

Recalling the final words she said to her daughter, Faye said: “I just said ‘I love you, you mean more than the world to me, I’m here with you every minute of the way and I’m always here with you. Make sure you come and see me’.”

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Aliya was studying health and social care and A Level dance at QMC before she died.

Faye said: “She was a really good dancer, she was naturally brilliant. She had the most beautiful voice. She had no singing lessons.

“She wanted to be a social worker to help children who didn’t have a good life. I think she would have gone into something amazing, something in showbiz.

“She was crazy and one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. Her smile was just amazing. She had this ability to light up a room when she came into it.”

More than 500 of Aliya’s family and friends said goodbye to her at a funeral at Basingstoke Crematorium on Friday, September 8, where she was taken by horse and carriage.

A fundraising page set up following her death raised more than £13,000 to help cover the costs. 

Paying tribute to her daughter, Faye said: “I will literally miss her forever. My heart is in bits. She loved her brothers to bits.”

Aliya leaves behind her father, Victor, and two younger brothers.

Her family is now waiting for a coroner’s report regarding the cause of death and whether an inquest will need to be held.

The Gazette has asked Hampshire Coroners’ Office for further information.