NBA Urges Urgent Rescue of Lawyer Abducted with Sister on Lokoja–Okene Highway

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has called on the federal government and security agencies to act swiftly in securing the release of one of its members, Onyesom Peace Udoka, who was abducted alongside her sister and several others along the Lokoja–Okene highway in Kogi State.

Udoka, who had just been called to the Bar, was kidnapped while returning from the Call to Bar ceremony in Abuja.

In a statement issued on Sunday, NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, condemned the incident as “unacceptable and utterly condemnable,” insisting that no family should be subjected to such trauma.

“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,” Osigwe said.

The NBA urged authorities to ensure the immediate and safe release of Udoka, her sister, and other victims still in captivity. It also pressed for a more coordinated response to the worsening insecurity on Nigeria’s highways.

“The safety and security of Nigerians cannot continue to be treated with levity. It is the primary duty of government to protect the lives of its citizens, and this duty must be discharged with the seriousness it deserves,” the association emphasized.

Expressing solidarity with the affected families, the NBA said it remained hopeful for the safe return of the victims and reaffirmed its commitment to supporting efforts aimed at strengthening national security.

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