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From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
The International Federation of Female Lawyers (FIDA), Abuja Branch, has condemned the killing of its senior member, Princess Chigbo Mediatrix, by a robbery gang of commercial bus operators popularly known as ‘one-chance’ in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The deceased was described as a prominent legal practitioner, rights advocate, and a former treasurer of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Abuja branch.
Narrating the circumstances of her death, the group said she was abducted and killed, with her body dumped along a roadside in the FCT.
Specifically, her body was discovered along the notorious Kubwa Expressway, near Dawaki, opposite Gwarimpa Estate, by a commuter on the way to work. A similar incident involved a nurse, identified as Ms. Chinemerem Pascalina Chuwumeziem, who was also murdered in the city.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, the female lawyers, all clad in black attire, said hey were devastated and outraged by the brutal murder of one of their valued members, a senior legal practitioner and a dedicated advocate for justice.
Chairperson of FIDA Nigeria, Abuja branch, Chioma Onyenucheya-Uko, called on the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, to declare a state of security emergency against ‘one-chance’ bus operators in the nation’s capital city. FIDA further called on the Nigeria Police Force, and other security agencies to treat the situation as a security emergency.
Onyenucheya-Uko said: “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, particular in it’s capital city.”The group also demanded thorough, transparent, and time-bound investigations into the killings, insisting that all those involved, including perpetrators and collaborators, must be arrested and prosecuted. In addition, the association has called on the FCT administration to establish and publicly unveil a multi-agency task force, dedicated solely to dismantling these criminal networks as well as the installation and activation of functional CCTV surveillance, particularly along major transport corridors, drop-off points, and identified hotspots. FIDA is equally demanding for improved intelligence-driven patrols, stop-and-search operations, and covert surveillance along known ‘one-chance’ routes. It also called on the FCT administration to urgently regulate and sanitise commercial transportation, including clear identification, registration, and monitoring of public and informal transport operators.
