...as family of late Barrister Nwamaka Chigbo narrates their ordeal
The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Mazi Afam Osigwe has denounced the murder of a lawyer, and former Treasurer of the Abuja branch of the association, Princess Nwamaka Mediatrix Chigbo, who was allegedly killed by criminal gangs on her return from the South Eastern part of the country where she celebrated her Christmas and New Year.
Osigwe’s condemnation of the dastard act was followed by the family account of the late Ms Chigbo’s on how she met her untimely death.
The NBA President in his statement warned that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) must not become a fertile ground for “one chance” murderers. “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”.
Osigwe stated further: “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 @NigBarAssoc 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”.
Osigwe therefore calls on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, the Police, and all other relevant security agencies to treat the 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.
In the same vein, the family of the late Princess Chigbo narrated their ordeal while their daughter was in the hands of her assailants. Ms Maureen Chigbo, former President, Guild of Online Corporate Publishers((GOCOP), and senior sister to the deceased narrated the family’s story.
She said: “Before her abduction, Barrister Nwamaka was on the phone with her sister Anthonia, who briefly interrupted the call to attend to a client. When she reverted, the barrister’s phone was still live, and Anthonia could hear her sister’s distress cry before the phone suddenly went dead and unreachable;
Anthonia alerted her elder sister, Maureen Chigbo, and other family members, who called the lawyer’s number repeatedly to reach her or her abductors to no avail;
When a call finally went through, a male voice rained curses in English and Hausa language, saying: “Thunder fire you there, send three million Naira or else we will kill her.” The captors gave no further details and abruptly terminated subsequent calls;
Barrister Nwamaka’s family later tried to contact the Police Force Public Relations Officer and left a text message on her phone. They were referred to two police complaint numbers;
The family equally sent a distress text and WhatsApp message to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), and also contacted the FCT Police Commissioner, who immediately linked them up to the Commander of the Scorpion Squad, in charge of kidnapping in Abuja;
The Commander later called to inform the family that the police were tracking the kidnappers, who were said to be “in motion and would likely drop the lawyer off once they might have collected the ransom.”
She continued: “The kidnappers never initiated any calls, and when Nwamaka’s family members reached them through her phone for clarification on how the ransom would be paid, they only heard the lawyer screaming in pain, “I am dying. …save me, please send the money, I am dying,” before the phone finally went dead again;
The family maintained contact with the Police Commander throughout Monday night to follow up on the rescue operation;
At 4 am on Tuesday, 6th January, when Maureen called the Commander, he expressed surprise that the lawyer had not called or returned home. He then promised to escalate the rescue operation;
The Commander later called to inform the family that “a lady had been found in a critical condition” and taken to an Abuja specialist hospital. He requested that Nwamaka’s picture be sent for identification purposes;
Maureen immediately took a flight from Lagos to Abuja and on reaching the hospital, saw her sister’s lifeless body in the mortuary with bruises, swollen eyes and a cracked skull, all signs of a tortured death;
The Chigbo family has met with the Police authorities, who assured them that the case was under investigation and that the culprits would be apprehended”.
Nwamaka was an active member and former treasurer of the Nigerian Bar Association, Abuja, member of the International Federation of Women Lawyers, IFWL, FIDA and Global Association of Female Lawyers, GAFA. She was a former President of Catholic Lawyers Association, Abuja.
An ardent Catholic, Nwamaka authored a book on Infant Jesus, and until death was the vice president of the Infant Jesus Association, member of the Mother of Perpetual Help Catholic Group among other religious groups.
The family expresses its gratitude to the Police for their efforts and cooperation so far, and urges the force to ensure that justice is served in Nwamaka’s case.
The family also wishes to thank Nwamaka’s friends, colleagues and well-wishers for their support and prayers. Her funeral arrangements will be announced as soon as possible.
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