The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arrested three men in connection with the brutal killing of Barrister Nwamaka Chigbo, a lawyer based in Abuja and former treasurer of the FCT branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

Chigbo was reportedly attacked around 5:50 pm on January 5, shortly after boarding a black Volkswagen Golf 3 along the Kubwa Expressway. She was found dead by the roadside following the assault. Her killing coincided with the death of Chinemerem Chuwumeziem, a nurse at the Federal Medical Centre, Jabi, who was also allegedly attacked by criminals linked to the ‘one-chance’ gang.

The NBA has urged Nyesom Wike, FCT Minister, to treat the resurgence of “one-chance” crimes in Abuja as a security emergency.

In a statement on Sunday, Josephine Adeh, FCT police spokesperson, said the suspects, members of an armed robbery syndicate, were arrested following a directive by Miller Dantawaye, FCT Commissioner of Police, to bring the perpetrators to justice.

“The FCT Police Command has recorded a major breakthrough in its sustained fight against violent crime with the arrest of three notorious suspects involved in ‘one-chance’ criminal activities and the gruesome murder of Barrister Chigbo,” Adeh said.

The suspects were apprehended between Friday and Saturday in the Dei-Dei, Dakwa, and Dan-Tata communities of Kubwa after operatives tracked the victim’s mobile phone using digital intelligence. Preliminary investigations revealed that the gang had operated in the FCT for several years, particularly during festive periods.

Adeh said the suspects confessed to rolling up the vehicle’s tinted windows, threatening Chigbo with weapons, and attempting to extort ransom. When she refused to cooperate, they allegedly assaulted her and pushed her out of the moving vehicle, causing her death.

The suspects also admitted to stealing Chigbo’s Android phone, which was later sold in Dei-Dei for N120,000. Items recovered from the suspects include five scissors, three knives, a dagger, a long chain used to restrain victims, and a plier.

The arrested suspects have been identified as Saifullahi Yusuf, 22; Ishau Yusuf, 24; and Minka’ilu Jibril, also known as Dan-Hajia. Saifullahi and Ishau are brothers. While Jibril reportedly received N30,000, Saifullahi got N15,000, and Ishau along with another suspect, Musa, who remains at large, shared the balance from the phone sale proceeds.

Adeh stated that the investigation is ongoing and that efforts are being intensified to apprehend the fleeing suspect and dismantle other elements of the syndicate.