A few days ago, it was reported that the body of the lawyer was found by the side of the road along the Kubwa Expressway.
A post on X (previously Twitter) says that the dead person was located at a different place with papers that imply she may have worked for the FCT High Court.
The update on social media had a picture of the dead person and her ID card.
It said that her bag was found a short distance from her body, which is typical of “one-chance” attacks where victims are robbed, beaten, and thrown from moving cars. She was killed by kidnappers.
The family was shocked by the event, according to a statement from Dr. Maureen Chigbo, the Publisher of Realnews Magazine.
“The family of Princess Nwamaka Mediatrix Chigbo, a lawyer in Abuja, is sad to say that she was killed in a brutal way by kidnappers who have not yet been found in the Nigerian Federal Capital Territory on Monday, January 5, 2026.”
“Before she was taken, Barrister Nwamaka was on the phone with her sister Anthonia. Anthonia had to stop the connection for a short while to help a client. When she called again, the lawyer’s phone was still working, and Anthonia could hear her sister’s distress cry before the phone went dead and couldn’t be reached.
“Anthonia told her older sister, Maureen Chigbo, and other family members. They contacted the lawyer’s number over and over again to try to reach her or her kidnappers, but they were unable.
“When the call eventually went through, a man’s voice cursed in both English and Hausa, shouting, “Thunder fire you there, send three million Naira or else we will kill her.” The captors didn’t give any more information and cut off further conversations without warning.
Later, Barrister Nwamaka’s family tried to get in touch with the Police Public Relations Officer (FCT Police Command) and sent her a text message. They were given two numbers to call the police to file a complaint.
The family sent a text and WhatsApp message to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and also called the FCT Police Commissioner. The Commissioner then put them in touch with the Commander of the Scorpion Squad, who is in charge of abduction in Abuja.
“The Commander later called the family to say that the police were following the kidnappers, who were supposed to be “on the move and would probably drop off the lawyer once they got the money.”
The statement added that the kidnappers never called, and when the family members used her phone to ask the lawyer how the ransom would be paid, all they heard was her screaming in pain.
“I am dying. …please send the money; I am dying,” she said before the phone went silent again.
“The family stayed in touch with the Police Commander all night on Monday to check on the rescue operation.”
When Maureen contacted the Commander at 4 a.m. on Tuesday, January 6, he was surprised that the lawyer hadn’t called or come home. He then said he will make the rescue operation bigger.
Later, the Commander called the family to say that “a lady had been found in critical condition” and brought to a specialist hospital in Abuja. He asked for Nwamaka’s image to be given so that he could identify her.
Maureen flew from Lagos to Abuja right once. When she got to the hospital, she discovered her sister’s body in the morgue. It had bruises, swollen eyes, and a shattered skull, all indicators that she had been tortured to death.
The Chigbo family has talked to the police, who told them that the case was being looked into and that the people responsible will be caught.
“Nwamaka was a member of the Nigerian Bar Association in Abuja and the International Federation of Women Lawyers (IFWL). She was also the treasurer of the Nigerian Bar Association.”
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