The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has called on Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), to urgently address the resurgence of “one chance” crimes in Abuja, describing the situation as a security emergency.
Gatekeepers News reports that the call follows the killing of Chinemerem Pascalina Chuwumeziem, a nurse and staff member of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jabi, and Princess Chigbo Mediatrix, a lawyer and former treasurer of the NBA Abuja branch. Both women were murdered on the same day by suspected “one chance” robbers, with their bodies later dumped at different locations within the capital.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Afam Osigwe, president of the NBA, said the victims were professionals whose only aim was to return home safely after their daily engagements.
Osigwe said the killings underscore a “frightening reality” of worsening insecurity in Abuja.
“What appears to be the disturbing return of ‘one chance’ criminal operations in the Federal Capital Territory has once again plunged Abuja into grief,” the statement said.
“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.”
The NBA president said the recurring attacks show a clear pattern, noting that criminal gangs posing as commercial transport operators are turning routine commuting into a deadly gamble.
Describing the killing of Chigbo as a “deeply personal” loss to the legal profession, Osigwe said she served the NBA Abuja branch with dedication and integrity.
“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,” he said.
Osigwe warned that the incidents point to a dangerous erosion of public safety in the FCT, stressing that when citizens cannot commute safely and criminals operate unchecked in the seat of government, “the foundations of social order are gravely threatened”.
“This situation is intolerable in any society that claims to be governed by law,” he said.
He urged Wike, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and other security agencies to take immediate, visible and coordinated action to dismantle “one chance” syndicates operating across Abuja.
“Immediate, visible, and coordinated action is required to dismantle these criminal networks,” Osigwe said.
“Intelligence gathering, surveillance, policing of transport corridors, and targeted operations against known ‘one chance’ syndicates must be intensified without delay.”
The NBA president also demanded “thorough, transparent, and time-bound investigations” into the killings of Chuwumeziem and Chigbo, insisting that those responsible must be identified, arrested and prosecuted.
“Justice must not only be promised. It must be delivered,” he said.
“The protection of life is the first duty of the state. Citizens should not have to choose between earning a living and staying alive.
“Their deaths must not fade into statistics or headlines that disappear with the news cycle. They must mark a turning point.”
