Urge Wike to declare security emergency against culprits
The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Nigeria, Abuja Branch, yesterday expressed shock and outrage over the brutal murder of one of its senior members by suspected ‘one-chance’ criminal operators.
The victim, identified as Chigbo Princess Mediatrix, a prominent legal practitioner and rights advocate, was abducted and killed, with her body dumped along a roadside in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Her body was discovered along the Kubwa Expressway, near Dawaki, opposite Gwarimpa Estate, by a commuter on the way to work. Preliminary reports suggest that the deceased may have fallen victim to suspected mobile armed robbers, commonly referred to as ‘one-chance’ operators, who are notorious for targeting unsuspecting commuters within the FCT.
The circumstances surrounding her death point to a violent encounter. A handbag believed to belong to the deceased was found some distance away from her body, reinforcing suspicions that she may have been robbed and possibly pushed from a moving vehicle.
The lawyer’s death came barely days after the body of a nurse with the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jabi, was found by the roadside. The nurse, identified as Chinemerem Chuwumeziem, a staff member of FMC Jabi, had finished her afternoon shift on January 3, 2026, and boarded a vehicle on her way home but never arrived. Her lifeless body was later found by the roadside.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, the FIDA Abuja Chairperson, Mrs Chioma Onyenucheya-Uko, described the incident as a searing indictment of the growing insecurity in the nation’s capital and called for urgent action to curb the rising wave of violent crimes.
She urged the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, to declare an immediate security emergency against “one-chance” operators and to establish a multi-agency task force to dismantle the criminal networks.
She said: “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.
“While we mourn deeply with the family, colleagues, and loved ones of our fallen colleague, we condemn in the strongest possible terms this heinous and dastardly act.
“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.
“It is important to note that this incident is not isolated. It forms part of a disturbing pattern of ‘one-chance’ operations that have continued unabated, despite repeated public outcries, media reports, and citizen distress. The time for expressions of sympathy has passed. What is urgently required now is decisive, coordinated, and visible action.”
The group also called for functional CCTV surveillance along major transport corridors and the regulation of commercial transport operators.
Security agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force, the DSS and the NSCDC, were urged to intensify intelligence-driven patrols, arrests and investigations, while the justice sector was called upon to ensure the speedy prosecution of offenders. Onyenucheya-Uko stressed that the safety of citizens, especially women and vulnerable commuters, was a constitutional obligation.
“When officers of the court are abducted and murdered, it sends a chilling message to every resident,” she said. FIDA Abuja also vowed to continue advocacy and, if necessary, take legal action to ensure accountability, saying: “We honour our fallen colleague not with silence but with resolve. Enough is enough.”
