• HURIWA mourns, tasks minister, FCT police on insecurity

The death of Miss Freda Arnong, a Ghanaian national who had lived and worked in Abuja for several years, has sparked renewed concerns over insecurity in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), following an alleged attack by ‘one-chance’ robbers.

‘One-chance’ refers to a form of robbery in which criminals masquerade as taxi drivers or fellow passengers to lure and rob unsuspecting commuters.

The Guardian learnt that Freda died at about 3:00 a.m. on Sunday, July 7, 2025, from injuries sustained during the brutal encounter. According to her brother, Arnong Arnong, Freda had closed from a house fellowship near the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Institute in Maitama around 7:00 p.m. on July 1, and boarded a taxi heading to Pope John Paul Street along the Transcorp Hilton road, where she lived. Unknown to her, the vehicle was operated by robbers.

Narrating the incident, Arnong said his sister told him she was blindfolded shortly after entering the vehicle and was viciously assaulted by the men, who demanded she grant them access to her phone and bank app. He said Freda was not tech-savvy and had lost her Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card weeks earlier without replacing it.

Frustrated by their inability to access her funds, the robbers intensified their assault. She even suggested calling her employer to send the N10 million they demanded, but they refused and threatened to mutilate her and sell her body parts.

She was eventually thrown out of the moving vehicle around 11:00 p.m. near the MoshoodAbiola Stadium. Left injured and helpless, she attempted to get help from passing vehicles without success. A local vigilante eventually came to her aid and rushed her to the National Hospital, Abuja.

Medical scans revealed severe trauma, including broken posterior ribs, lung lacerations, kidney damage, internal bleeding, and injuries to her eyes and heart. She died days later in hospital.

Meanwhile, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has mourned the death of Freda. The group lamented that the criminals have operated for years, likely because the security and political leaders of the FCT have yet to come to terms with the dangers these terrorists pose to citizens.

The group called for justice for Freda and all victims of the crime, stressing that such an incident should never happen again. HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, stated: “This God-fearing, generous soul was known to us at HURIWA since the year of our inauguration about eighteen years ago, and she had consistently supported our work, just as she was a very great human rights person.

“The details of her encounter are a reminder of the urgent need for the government to take steps to stamp out these terrorists disguised as robbers. The police, Department of State Services (DSS), and the military should set up strategic observatory points within the municipality of Abuja, just as the Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) security project must be revived and completed.

“Installing CCTV around the FCT and operating functional monitoring systems and quick-response squads is much more urgent than building flyovers all over Abuja, as is currently being done by the politicians.

“What crime did Freda Arnong commit? Her only ‘crime’ was living in a beautiful city plagued by a broken system.

“How long will we keep losing innocent lives to the ‘one-chance’ criminal syndicates? When will public transportation be safe for everyone? When will our leaders prioritise technology-driven transport safety?

“We must demand a driver and vehicle authentication system, where commuters can verify the identity and registration of commercial vehicles and their drivers in real time before boarding.

“Freda cannot die in vain. Her killers must be found and prosecuted. There are countless families silently grieving loved ones lost to the same fate, abandoned by a system that failed to protect them. We must rise. We must demand change.”