The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on Sunday demanded the release of Peace Udoka, a young lawyer abducted with her sister by gunmen in Kogi State a day after her call to the bar.

Udoka, a member of the National Youth Service Corps serving in Kogi, was kidnapped along the Lokoja-Okene highway on Saturday while travelling from Abuja to Benin City.

A day after the incident, NBA President, Afam Osigwe, described the abduction as “shocking and deeply concerning.”

In a statement via X on Sunday, Osigwe called on security agencies to act immediately.

“The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) @NigBarAssoc has received with shock and deep concern the distressing reports of the abduction of one of our young colleagues, Onyesom Peace Udoka, a newly called lawyer, alongside her sister, around the Lokoja–Okene axis in Kogi State while returning from the recent Call to Bar Ceremony in Abuja,” the post read.

“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 strongly calls 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. 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.

“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.”

The Lokoja-Okene axis, linking the federal capital to the southwest, has become a hotspot for kidnappings.

On September 8, gunmen attacked an 18-seater bus, killing one person and abducting three passengers.

“Government Must Act Now: NBA Demands Immediate Release of Onyesom Peace Udoka and Other Abducted Victims” (Channels TV)

•Udoka, a member of the National Youth Service Corps serving in Kogi, was kidnapped along the Lokoja-Okene highway on Saturday while travelling from Abuja to Benin City.