Fresh details have emerged on the final hours of Abuja-based lawyer, Nwamaka Chigbo, who was abducted and later killed by kidnappers after a N3 million ransom demand, according to her family.
In a statement released by the family, Chigbo was said to have been on the phone with her sister, Anthonia, shortly before she was taken. The call reportedly remained connected after the abduction, allowing Anthonia to hear her sister’s distress cries before the line went dead.
“When Anthonia reverted, Nwamaka’s phone was still live, with her distress cry heard in the background before the phone suddenly got dead and unreachable,” the family said.
Repeated attempts by family members to reach Chigbo or her abductors initially failed. When contact was eventually made, the family said a male voice answered the phone, issuing threats and demanding money.
“A male voice rained curses in English and Hausa language, saying, ‘Send three million naira, or we will kill her,’” the statement said.
The family said they immediately reported the matter to the police, who assured them that tracking efforts were ongoing and suggested that the kidnappers might release the lawyer after collecting the ransom.
According to the statement, the kidnappers did not initiate further contact. When family members later called Chigbo’s phone to seek clarification on how the ransom would be paid, they heard her voice again.
“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 statement said.
While efforts to secure her release continued, the family said they were informed on Tuesday, January 6, that a woman in critical condition had been taken to a specialist hospital in Abuja. Chigbo’s sister, Maureen Chigbo, travelled from Lagos to Abuja after receiving the information.
“On reaching the hospital, she saw her sister’s lifeless body in the mortuary with bruises, swollen eyes and a cracked skull,” the family said, adding that the injuries suggested torture.
Chigbo was a former treasurer of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Abuja branch, and a member of professional bodies including the International Federation of Women Lawyers and the Global Association of Female Lawyers.
Her death has drawn reactions from legal practitioners, with former NBA Abuja chairman, Afam Okeke, calling for improved coordination among security agencies to address kidnapping and “one chance” crimes in the Federal Capital Territory.
“I call on the police to deploy all necessary resources to ensure that the perpetrators of this dastardly act are brought to justice, to forestall any future occurrence,” Okeke said.
The police said investigations had commenced. Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, Miller Dantawaye, gave the assurance while receiving a delegation of the NBA at the command headquarters.
“The Command has commenced extensive and discreet investigations into the circumstances surrounding the incident, with a firm commitment to ensuring that the perpetrators are identified, apprehended, and brought to justice,” the police said in a statement.
