Matilda Omonaiye/
The Nigeria Police have come under renewed scrutiny after kidnappers brutally murdered Abuja-based lawyer, Princess Nwamaka Mediatrix Chigbo, despite frantic efforts by her family to secure official intervention during her abduction in the Federal Capital Territory.
Princess Chigbo, the elder sister of immediate-past President of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), Ms Maureen Chigbo, was killed on Monday, January 5, 2026, after being seized by unknown assailants in Abuja.
According to the family, the chilling sequence of events began while the lawyer was on a phone call with her sister, Anthonia. The call was briefly interrupted when Anthonia stepped away to attend to a client. When she returned moments later, the phone line was still open, but what followed were cries of distress from Princess Nwamaka before the line suddenly went dead.
Repeated attempts by family members to reach her phone were unsuccessful. When a call eventually connected, a male voice issued threats in English and Hausa, demanding a ransom of ₦3 million and warning that the lawyer would be killed if the money was not paid.
The kidnappers rained curses, saying: “Thunder fire you there, send N3 million or else we will kill her.” The captors gave no further details and abruptly terminated subsequent calls.
Barrister Nwamaka’s family later tried to contact the Police Public Relations Officer (FCT Police Command) and left a text message on her phone. They were referred to two police complaint numbers.
As subsequent calls to the kidnappers went unanswered, the family stepped up pressure on the police, sending distress messages to senior police officers, including the Inspector-General of Police and the FCT Commissioner of Police. They were eventually linked to the Commander of the Scorpion Squad, Abuja’s anti-kidnapping unit, who assured them that security operatives were tracking the kidnappers and that the victim might be released after ransom collection.
Those assurances, however, proved tragically hollow.
When family members later reached the abductors through the lawyer’s phone, they heard her screaming in agony, pleading for help and urging them to send the money, before the line went dead permanently.
Throughout the night, the family remained in constant contact with the police commander. But by 4 a.m. on Tuesday, January 6, even the police appeared unsure of her fate. Hours later, the family was informed that a critically injured woman had been taken to a specialist hospital in Abuja.
Ms Maureen Chigbo immediately flew in from Lagos. At the hospital mortuary, she was confronted with the lifeless body of her sister, bearing visible signs of severe torture, a grim end that underscored the failure of timely rescue.
Police authorities have since assured the family that investigations are ongoing and that those responsible will be brought to justice.
Princess Nwamaka Chigbo was a respected legal practitioner and a former treasurer of the Nigerian Bar Association, Abuja branch. She was also an active member of the International Federation of Women Lawyers, the FIDA, and the Global Association of Female Lawyers. She previously served as President of the Catholic Lawyers Association, Abuja.
A devout Catholic, she authored a book on the Infant Jesus and was Vice President of the Infant Jesus Association until her death, in addition to active participation in several Catholic devotional groups.
While the Chigbo family expressed appreciation for the cooperation shown by the police so far, they urged law enforcement authorities to go beyond assurances and ensure that justice is served swiftly.
The family also thanked friends, colleagues and well-wishers for their prayers and support, noting that funeral arrangements would be announced in due course.
The killing has once again raised troubling questions about the effectiveness of policing and emergency response in Nigeria’s capital city, a place that should symbolize safety, but where criminals continue to strike with impunity.
0Related posts:
Nigeria at 60: How Africa’s Most Decorated Detective Made the Nation Proud
Why I Like Big Busts – DCP Abba Kyari
Kidnappers Demand N20M Ransom for 2 Sisters Kidnapped on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Friday
Maureen Chigbo Now GOCOP President
Archbishop of San Francisco Bans US House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, from Receiving Communion
Police Monkey-Business Set Twitter Ablaze as Man Framed for Murder Regains Freedom