The family of Nwamaka Chigbo, an Abuja-based lawyer, has shared details of the final moments before her death.
The lawyer’s body was discovered a few days ago on a kerb along the Kubwa Expressway.
Earlier posts on X indicated that the deceased was found at a different location, with documents suggesting she was a staff member of the FCT High Court. ...s, which included her photograph and identification card, also stated that her bag was found a few metres away from her body in a pattern consistent with “one-chance” attacks.
In a statement issued by Maureen Chigbo, publisher of Realnews Magazine, the family said it was shocked by the incident.
“The family of Princess Nwamaka Mediatrix Chigbo, an Abuja-based lawyer, is saddened to announce her brutal death at the hands of still-to-be-identified kidnappers in the Nigerian Federal Capital Territory on Monday, January 5, 2026,” the statement said.
According to the family, Nwamaka was on a phone call with her sister, Anthonia, shortly before her abduction. Anthonia reportedly interrupted the call briefly to attend to a client, and upon returning, found that the line was still connected. She then heard her sister’s distress cry before the call went dead.
Anthonia immediately alerted Maureen Chigbo and other family members, who made repeated attempts to reach the lawyer without success.
The family said that when the call eventually connected, a male voice demanded a ransom of N3 million.
“Thunder fire you there. Send three million naira or else we will kill her,” the caller reportedly said.
The statement said the family contacted the Police Public Relations Officer of the FCT Police Command and was issued a complaint number. Distress messages were also sent to the Inspector-General of Police and the FCT Commissioner of Police, who subsequently linked the family to the commander of the Scorpion Squad.
According to the family, the commander later informed them that the kidnappers were being tracked and were “in motion.”
The statement said the kidnappers never initiated contact and that when family members managed to reach the abductors through the lawyer’s phone, they could only hear her screaming in pain.
“I am dying… save me, please send the money. I am dying,” she was quoted as saying.
The statement further said the family was later informed that a woman in critical condition had been taken to an Abuja specialist hospital, and Nwamaka’s photograph was requested for identification.
The statement further said the family was later informed that a woman in critical condition had been taken to an Abuja specialist hospital, and Nwamaka’s photograph was requested for identification.
Maureen Chigbo said she flew from Lagos to Abuja, where she later identified her sister’s body at the mortuary.
The family said police authorities have assured them that investigations are ongoing and that those responsible will be apprehended.
Nwamaka Chigbo was a former treasurer of the Nigerian Bar Association, Abuja Branch, and a member of the International Federation of Women Lawyers.