Fresh and harrowing details have surfaced regarding the final hours of Abuja-based legal practitioner, Nwamaka Chigbo, who was abducted and later murdered by kidnappers after her family received a demand for a three-million-naira ransom.
Harrowing Final Phone Calls Reveal Distress
According to a statement released by her grieving family, Chigbo was on a call with her sister, Anthonia, just moments before she was taken. The line reportedly remained connected after the abduction, allowing Anthonia to hear her sister's desperate cries for help before the call abruptly ended.
The family stated, "When Anthonia reverted, Nwamaka's phone was still live, with her distress cry heard in the background before the phone suddenly got dead and unreachable."
Initial attempts by relatives to reach Chigbo or her captors were unsuccessful. When contact was finally established, a male voice answered, issuing violent threats.
"A male voice rained curses in English and Hausa language, saying, 'Send three million naira, or we will kill her,'" the family's account revealed.
Failed Rescue Efforts and Tragic Discovery
The family immediately alerted the police, who assured them tracking efforts were underway and suggested the kidnappers might release her after receiving the ransom. However, the abductors did not make further contact.
In a subsequent attempt to clarify ransom payment details, family members called Chigbo's number again. This time, they heard the lawyer's own voice in utter agony. "They only heard the lawyer screaming in pain, 'I am dying, save me. Please send the money; I am dying,' before the phone finally went dead again," the statement recounted.
Despite ongoing efforts to secure her freedom, the family received devastating news on Tuesday, January 6, 2026. They were informed that a critically injured woman had been admitted to a specialist hospital in Abuja.
Chigbo's sister, Maureen Chigbo, rushed from Lagos to Abuja. "On reaching the hospital, she saw her sister's lifeless body in the mortuary with bruises, swollen eyes and a cracked skull," the family said, indicating signs of severe torture.
Outcry from the Legal Community and Police Response
Nwamaka Chigbo was a former treasurer of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Abuja branch, and an active member of several professional bodies including the International Federation of Women Lawyers.
Her brutal murder has sparked outrage among legal practitioners. Former NBA Abuja chairman, Afam Okeke, called for enhanced coordination among security agencies to tackle the menace of kidnapping and 'one chance' crimes in the Federal Capital Territory.
"I call on the police to deploy all necessary resources to ensure that the perpetrators of this dastardly act are brought to justice, to forestall any future occurrence," Okeke stated.
The police have confirmed that an investigation is in progress. The Commissioner of Police for the FCT Command, Miller Dantawaye, gave this assurance while receiving a delegation from the NBA. "The Command has commenced extensive and discreet investigations into the circumstances surrounding the incident, with a firm commitment to ensuring that the perpetrators are identified, apprehended, and brought to justice," a police statement read.
