By Ifeanyi Ejiofor
The kidnapping and brutal murder of Barrister Nwamaka Mediatrix Chigbo in Abuja represents far more than a tragic criminal act. It is a stark symbol of a system that is failing in its most basic responsibility,the protection of human life.
Abuja was conceived as the secure heart of the Nigerian Federation,a city insulated from the everyday anxieties of insecurity that plague other parts of the country. Yet, recent events suggest that this promise has eroded.
Fear, lawlessness, and organised criminal syndicates operating under the now-infamous “one-chance” phenomenon have steadily reclaimed the city.
Citizens are attacked in broad daylight, and the capital appears to bleed quietly, with little sense of urgency from those entrusted with its safety.
The murder of Princess Nwamaka Chigbo, a respected legal practitioner and committed member of the Nigerian Bar Association, captures this decline with painful clarity. Her death should trouble every Nigerian, not only because of its cruelty, but because of what it reveals about the fragility of public safety even at the centre of national power.
This was not merely an unfortunate encounter with criminals; it was the predictable outcome of systemic neglect.
Like many Nigerians, she entered the New Year with hope and ambition. That such a life could be extinguished simply by boarding what appeared to be an ordinary commercial taxi speaks to the depth of the crisis. The fact that criminal syndicates can disguise death traps as public transport and operate with such confidence suggests a profound breakdown in intelligence, surveillance, and deterrence.
What makes this tragedy even more unsettling is the apparent dissonance between the severity of the security situation in Abuja and the priorities of political leadership. At a time when residents of the Federal Capital Territory are increasingly vulnerable, the absence,physical or symbolic of decisive leadership sends the wrong message.
Security is not only about deployments and checkpoints; it is also about focus, presence, and accountability.
While security operatives are occasionally visible at checkpoints and junctions, these measures often feel reactive and performative rather than strategic. Static policing alone cannot defeat criminal networks that live among us, study our habits, and adapt faster than bureaucratic processes. This is the difference between the appearance of security and its substance.
The “one-chance” phenomenon itself is not mysterious. It is an organised criminal enterprise exploiting weak regulation of commercial transport, poor intelligence gathering, and gaps in surveillance.
Addressing it requires more than public outrage. It demands intelligence-led policing, proper profiling and regulation of transport operators, undercover operations, technology-driven surveillance, and sustained public education.
Above all, it requires leadership that treats security as a primary obligation, not a secondary concern.
Barrister Nwamaka Chigbo’s death should not be reduced to another statistic or hashtag. It should serve as a moment of reckoning. Abuja does not need louder rhetoric, longer convoys, or symbolic gestures. It needs deliberate governance, coordinated security strategy, and leaders who understand that political ambition must never outrank the sanctity of human life.
History will judge this moment not by the statements issued, but by the actions taken or avoided. And posterity will remember who chose to confront the crisis, and who chose to look away.
