The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has showed grievances over disturbing return of “one chance” criminal operations in the Federal Capital Territory which has once again plunged Abuja into grief.
In a statement released by the professional body on Wednesday explained in a separate but equally tragic incidents of how two lifeless bodies were found in the Federal Capital Territory.
Revealing that Ms. Chinemerem Pascalina Chuwumeziem, a nurse, and Princess Chigbo Mediatrix, who was a colleague, a lawyer and former Treasurer of the Association, Abuja Branch, lost their lives after falling victim to this deadly criminal enterprise.
The Association pressed further that their bodies were later discovered in different locations across the city, adding that these were not faceless victims but professionals, contributors to society, and ordinary citizens whose intention was to return safely from their daily engagements.
NBA said, “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 association lamented.
The Nigerian Bar Association Condemned in the strongest terms these senseless and horrifying killings, saying 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 environment where criminals act with impunity and citizens move in fear”, it said.
The Association stated that this loss of these lives represent more than personal grief, adding that it signals a dangerous erosion of public safety. “When citizens cannot safely commute, 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, called on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, the Nigeria Police Force, and all other relevant security agencies to treat this situation as a security emergency.
Seeking immediate, visible, and coordinated action to dismantle these criminal networks with the intelligence gathering, surveillance, and the targeted operations against known “one chance” syndicates which it said must be intensified without delay.
The Association demanded thorough, transparent, time-bound investigations into these killings, while calling for those responsible, perpetrators, collaborators, or enablers, should 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”.
The NBA extended its 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”, the Association concluded.
