What appears to be the disturbing return of “one chance” criminal operations in the Federal Capital Territory has once again plunged Abuja into grief.
In separate but equally tragic incidents, Ms. Chinemerem Pascalina Chuwumeziem, a nurse, and Princess Chigbo Mediatrix, our dear colleague, a lawyer and former Treasurer of the Nigerian Bar Association Abuja Branch, lost their lives after falling victim to this deadly criminal enterprise.
Their bodies were later discovered in different locations across the city. These were not faceless victims.
They were professionals, contributors to society, and ordinary citizens whose only intention was to return safely from their daily engagements.
Their deaths underscore a frightening reality that insecurity is once again tightening its grip on the nation’s capital.
Abuja awoke to fear and sorrow as news of these killings spread. One victim spent her days saving lives.
The other was a committed member of the Bar who served her branch with dedication and integrity. Their journeys home ended in brutal violence at the hands of criminals who now operate with alarming confidence on our roads.
These deaths are not isolated tragedies. They are a stark indictment of a growing security breakdown in the seat of government.
The Nigerian Bar Association condemns in the strongest terms these senseless and horrifying killings.
The pattern is no longer deniable. Criminal gangs, masquerading as commercial transport operators, have turned daily commuting into a deadly gamble. This situation is intolerable in any society that claims to be governed by law.
For us in the legal profession, the murder of Princess Chigbo Mediatrix is deeply personal. She was one of us. She served the NBA Abuja Branch with commitment, and I knew her personally.
Her dedication to the profession and her sense of service were remarkable. Her death is therefore not only a professional loss but a painful personal blow, and a stark reminder that lawyers, like all Nigerians, remain dangerously exposed in an environment where criminals act with impunity and citizens move in fear.
The loss of these lives represents more than personal grief. It signals a dangerous erosion of public safety. When citizens cannot safely commute, when professionals are hunted in plain sight, and when criminals operate unchecked in the nation’s capital, the foundations of social order are gravely threatened.
The NBA, therefore, calls on the Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, the Nigeria Police Force, and all other relevant security agencies to treat this situation as a security emergency.
Immediate, visible, and coordinated action is required to dismantle these criminal networks. Intelligence gathering, surveillance, policing of transport corridors, and targeted operations against known “one chance” syndicates must be intensified without delay.
We further demand thorough, transparent, and time-bound investigations into these killings. Those responsible, whether as direct perpetrators, collaborators, or enablers, must be identified, arrested, and prosecuted. Justice must not only be promised. It must be delivered. Anything short of this will deepen public fear and embolden criminal elements.
The protection of life is the first duty of the state. Citizens should not have to choose between earning a living and staying alive. The Federal Capital Territory must not become a hunting ground where criminals prey on the vulnerable while the law appears distant or reactive.
We extend our deepest condolences to the families of Ms. Chinemerem Pascalina Chuwumeziem and Princess Chigbo Mediatrix, to the healthcare community, to the NBA Abuja Branch, to the wider legal profession, and to all Nigerians who now move through Abuja with growing anxiety.
Their deaths must not fade into statistics or headlines that disappear with the news cycle. They must mark a turning point.
Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN
President, Nigerian Bar Association
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