NBA Raises the Alarm as ‘One Chance’ Killings Claim Lawyer, Nurse in Abuja

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has warned that criminal groups popularly known as “one chance” operators are once again endangering lives in Abuja, following the deaths of a lawyer and a nurse in separate but similar attacks across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The victims, identified as Princess Chigbo Mediatrix and Ms Chinemerem Pascalina Chuwumeziem, were allegedly killed by criminals posing as commercial transport operators.

Their bodies were later discovered in different locations within the city, sparking renewed concern over commuter safety.

Princess Mediatrix was a former Treasurer of the NBA Abuja Branch, while Chuwumeziem was a healthcare worker. Their deaths have heightened public anxiety, particularly among professionals who rely daily on public transportation within the capital.

Confirming the killing of Mediatrix, the FCT Police Command said investigations were ongoing. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the command’s spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, said “discreet investigations” had been launched to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Reacting to the incidents, the NBA said the attacks reflected a worrying return of violent crime in Abuja.

In a statement released on Thursday by its President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, the association described the situation as a serious threat to public safety.

“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.

“Their deaths underscore a frightening reality that insecurity is once again tightening its grip on the nation’s capital,” the statement read.

The association noted that the killings pointed to a deeper security failure, warning that criminal syndicates had turned routine commuting into a life-threatening risk for residents.

Osigwe said the killing of Princess Mediatrix was particularly painful to the legal community, describing her as a committed and principled member of the Abuja Bar whose death represented both a professional and personal loss.

“The Nigerian Bar Association condemns in the strongest terms these senseless and horrifying killings. The pattern is no longer deniable.

“Criminal gangs, masquerading as commercial transport operators, now operate with alarming confidence on our roads,” the statement added.

The NBA called on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, the Nigeria Police Force, and other security agencies to respond decisively, urging them to classify the situation as a security emergency.

It recommended urgent measures such as enhanced intelligence gathering, increased surveillance, tighter policing of transport routes and focused operations against identified “one chance” networks.

“The NBA, therefore, calls on the Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, the Nigeria Police Force, and all other relevant security agencies to treat this situation as a security emergency.

“Immediate, visible, and coordinated action is required to dismantle these criminal networks. Justice must not only be promised. It must be delivered,” the association said.

While expressing condolences to the families of the victims, the healthcare sector and the NBA Abuja Branch, the association stressed that the deaths should not be reduced to mere statistics, urging authorities to ensure the incidents become a catalyst for restoring safety and confidence in the nation’s capital.