The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has raised the alarm over a surge in violent crimes in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), warning that Abuja must not become a haven for so-called “one chance” murders.
In a statement on Thursday, NBA President Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, condemned the killings of two professionals: Ms. Chinemerem Pascalina Chuwumeziem, a nurse, and Princess Chigbo Mediatrix, a lawyer and former Treasurer of the NBA Abuja Branch.
Both were allegedly targeted by criminal gangs posing as commercial transport operators, with their bodies discovered in different parts of the city.
Osigwe described the attacks as evidence of a worsening security situation in the capital, noting that these were not isolated incidents but part of a troubling pattern endangering daily commuters.
He described the murder of Princess Mediatrix as a painful loss to the legal community, highlighting the vulnerability of lawyers and other citizens in an environment where criminals operate with impunity.
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The NBA has urged the FCT Minister, the Nigeria Police Force, and other security agencies to treat the situation as a security emergency.
The association called for immediate and coordinated action, including intensified intelligence gathering, surveillance, and targeted operations against known criminal networks.
“The resurgence of ‘one chance’ operations has plunged Abuja into grief,” the statement read. “Immediate, visible, and coordinated action is required to dismantle these criminal networks, and all perpetrators and collaborators must be arrested and prosecuted.”