Onyesom Peace Udoka, a lawyer recently called to bar, has been kidnapped alongside her sister while returning home from her call to bar ceremony.
Udoka was abducted around Lokoja, Kogi state, on Friday, days after her call to bar ceremony, which happened on September 23, in Abuja.
According to a public post shared on X, a user — @Rhave_official — claimed her abductors are demanding a N20 million ransom.
Reacting in a statement on Sunday, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) described the situation as “distressing”.
Afam Osigwe, president of the NBA, said: “This tragic development is unacceptable and utterly condemnable.
“It is heartbreaking that at a time when our nation should be celebrating the future of the legal profession, young lawyers and their families are subjected to such harrowing ordeals. No family should have to endure this trauma, and no citizen should live under the constant fear of insecurity on our roads.”
The NBA also asked the federal government and security agencies, particularly the Nigerian police, to “act with urgency, and ensure the immediate and safe release of our colleague and all others in captivity”.
“The safety and security of Nigerians cannot continue to be treated with levity. It is the primary duty of the government to protect the lives of its citizens, and this duty must be discharged with the seriousness it deserves,” Osigwe added.
“We further demand intensified and sustained action to secure our highways and restore public confidence in the ability of government to guarantee the safety of all who travel across the country.
“The NBA stands in solidarity with the families of the abducted victims in this difficult time, and we pray that God grants the victims a safe and speedy return to their loved ones.”
