NBA Demands Immediate Release Of Abducted Female Lawyer

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Sunday, demanded the immediate release of one Onyesom Peace Udoka, who was newly called to Bar.

THE WHISTLER reports that the female lawyer was kidnapped alongside her sister along Lokoja–Okene axis in Kogi State while they were returning from the recent Call to Bar ceremony in Abuja.

The demand was contained in a release by the National President of NBA, Mazi Afam Osigwe, which was made available to our correspondent on Sunday.

Osigwe stated that, “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.”

NBA, in the release, called on the Federal Government and all relevant security agencies “to rise to the occasion, act with urgency, and ensure the immediate and safe release of our colleague and all others in captivity”.

Osigwe added, “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.

“We further demand intensified and sustained action to secure our highways and restore public confidence in the ability of the government to guarantee the safety of all who travel across the country.”

NBA sympathised with the families of the abductees, and prayed for a divine intervention towards their release.