The Nigerian Bar Association and the International Federation of Women Lawyers, Nigeria, Abuja Branch, have raised the alarm over what it described as the disturbing resurgence of “one chance” criminal operations in the Federal Capital Territory, following the killings of a nurse, Chinemerem Chuwumeziem, and a lawyer, Chigbo Mediatrix.
PUNCH Metro learnt on Thursday that Mediatrix was a former treasurer of the NBA Abuja Branch, while Chuwumeziem was a healthcare worker.
Both women were reportedly attacked by criminals posing as commercial transport operators, and their bodies were later found in different parts of the city.
The FCT Police Command, in a statement by its spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, on Wednesday, said “discreet investigations” were ongoing on the case to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident.
In a statement issued by its president, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, on Thursday, the NBA said the incidents had plunged Abuja into grief and fear, warning that insecurity was once again tightening its grip on the nation’s capital.
“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,” the association said.
The NBA described the killings as a stark indictment of a growing security breakdown in Abuja, noting that criminal gangs had turned daily commuting into a deadly gamble.
Osigwe described the death of Mediatrix as deeply personal for the legal profession, adding that she served the NBA Abuja Branch with dedication and integrity and that her murder was both a professional and personal loss.
“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, now operate with alarming confidence on our roads,” the statement read.
The association called on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, the Nigeria Police Force, and other security agencies to treat the situation as a security emergency.
It demanded immediate and coordinated action, including intensified intelligence gathering, surveillance, policing of transport corridors and targeted operations against known “one chance” syndicates.
“Immediate, visible, and coordinated action is required to dismantle these criminal networks. Justice must not only be promised. It must be delivered,” the statement added.
Also condemning the incident at a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, FIDA decried the murder of one of its senior members by suspected “one-chance” criminal operators in the Federal Capital Territory.
Calling for an immediate security response to tackle the escalating threat, the Chairperson of FIDA Abuja Branch, Chioma Onyenucheya-Uko, described the death of the female lawyer as a stark reflection of the worsening insecurity in the nation’s capital..
“This is not just a personal tragedy; it is a searing indictment of the growing insecurity in the Federal Capital Territory, a city that ought to represent safety, order and the rule of law,” she said.
FIDA described Mediatrix as a committed advocate for justice.
She was reportedly attacked by suspected one-chance operators, and her body was dumped by the roadside.
One-chance criminals are mobile robbers who pose as commercial transport operators and target unsuspecting commuters.
Mediatrix was said to have been abducted and killed, and her body was dumped along the Kubwa Expressway where it was discovered by a commuter on the way to work.
FIDA lamented Mediatrix’s death, stating that it was “devastated and outraged” by the killing.
The association said the incident formed part of a persistent pattern of one-chance attacks despite repeated public outcry and media reports.
“The time for expressions of sympathy has passed. What is urgently required now is decisive, coordinated and visible action,” Onyenucheya-Uko declared.
The association called on the FCT Administration to declare a security emergency against one-chance criminals and to inaugurate a dedicated multi-agency task force to dismantle the networks responsible.
It also urged the installation of functional CCTV systems along major transport corridors and identified hotspots and the sanitisation of commercial transportation through means of identification and registration of operators.
The group further urged security agencies to intensify intelligence-driven patrols and surveillance, arrest perpetrators, and provide regular public briefings to restore public confidence.
“No society that claims to be governed by law should tolerate the routine abduction, assault and murder of its citizens, particularly in its capital city,” the organisation said.
The group also called for speedy prosecution of cases arising from one-chance operations to deter offenders, warning that the killing of a legal practitioner sends a “chilling message” to residents, particularly women and vulnerable commuters.
“The safety of citizens is not optional; it is a constitutional obligation,” Onyenucheya-Uko stressed.
“We will not remain silent. We will continue to engage, advocate and demand accountability until concrete steps are taken to end this scourge,” she added.
The association vowed to pursue strategic advocacy and legal action where necessary.
“We honour our fallen colleague not with silence, but with resolve. Enough is enough.”
Mediatrix’s death came days after the body of a nurse, Chinemerem Chuwumeziem of the Federal Medical Centre, Jabi, Abuja, was also found by the roadside, reportedly another victim of one-chance robbers.
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