· Female are targets, citizens claim
· Residents demand concrete action
· Police mum as death count mounts
By Our Correspondents
Motorists in Abuja, especially young women, are in fear as the operations of robbers who operate with cars in the capital city popularly known as “One Chance” seems to be on the rise.
Over the past week, three ladies have been confirmed dead in different parts of the city allegedly all victims of “One Chance.”
On Saturday, July 12, Ms. Grace Godwin, a petrol attendant was found dead at the Jabi area of the capital city at about 7:21am ostensibly pushed from a “One Chance” car.
According to Zagazola Makama, a security expert, the 23-year-old woman, the police suspect Grace’s death to a case of abduction and possible murder.
Makama disclosed that detectives from the Jabi Police Division who responded to the victim being found at the Jabi area rushed her to the National Hospital where she was confirmed dead by doctors on duty.
Her body has been deposited at the hospital’s mortuary for autopsy. Her family has been notified and has positively identified her.
He said that preliminary investigations revealed that Grace boarded a commercial vehicle around 8:53 p.m. on Friday at Mabushi a vehicle suspected to be operated by a “one chance” criminal gang. The suspects reportedly contacted her family at 11:56 p.m. to demand ransom.
Police say they have launched a manhunt to identify and apprehend those responsible.
Before the Saturday tragic incident, residents have expressed anger over the death of a Ghanaian official after an encounter with ‘one chance’ robbers in Abuja
Miss Freda Arnong, a staff member of the Ghanaian High Commission in Nigeria, died at the National Hospital, Abuja after she had boarded a vehicle allegedly operated by robbers.
Ms. Freda according to her brother boarded a commercial taxi cab at Transcorp Junction penultimate week, and rather than head towards her direction, diverted towards the Lugbe-Airport Road, where she was brutalised before being pushed out of the moving vehicle.
The deceased was later rescued and taken to the hospital, where she lost her life on Tuesday, July around 1:53pm on Tuesday, July 1.
As residents were coming to terms with Ms. Freda’s death, the National Hospital Abuja issued a public appeal for help in identifying a female patient currently receiving care in its Trauma Intensive Care Unit, ICU.
According to a statement issued by the hospital on Friday, July 11, 2025, the woman was found unconscious along Kubwa–Deidei Road.
The hospital urged anyone who recognizes her or has any useful information about her family to come forward immediately.
“A woman was found unconscious along Kubwa–Deidei Road around 10:30 PM on July 8th, 2025, and was rushed to the Trauma Centre at National Hospital, Abuja,” the statement.
“She is currently receiving treatment, but her identity remains unknown. Location: Trauma Centre, National Hospital, Abuja.
“Date Found: 8th July, 2025. Found at: Kubwa–Deidei Road, Abuja. Time: Around 10:30 PM. Contact: 0903 009 7889.
“If you recognize her or have any information, please come forward immediately. Share widely to help reunite her with her loved ones. Thank you.”
While the police were yet to speak on the matter, residents are of the opinions that the victim must have been a victim of “one chance.”
It would be recalled that the National Hospital Abuja on November 5, 2024 had put out a similar notice over an unidentified female patient.
The management in a statement then said the woman was brought into the hospital after she was found unconscious by the roadside in Mabushi on October 28.
“UNKNOWN PATIENT The woman whose picture is placed above was brought into the National Hospital Abuja, on the 28th October, 2024.
“The unknown patient was said to have been found unconscious by the roadside in Mabushi at about 9am and was brought to the National Hospital where she has been receiving treatment,” the statement read.
A lot of FCT residents have voiced their worry over the safety of young girls in Nigeria’s capital city.
Akinjide Jide Babalola, a journalist, on Facebook said, “Those dastardly ‘one-chance’ criminals seem to be targeting more women now. The sad, ugly trend calls for urgent drastic action!”
Also, Nnedinma Anochimonye, an equality rights lawyer, noted that, “This is terrible and sad. Have the Police even acknowledged these rampant assaults on women in Abuja? Has mainstream media been reporting these, sir? Women are not safe.”
An Acting Director in the FCT Administration, Dr. Jumai Ahmadu, recalled how her cousin was a victim to “one chance.”
“Oh my God…Images like this bring back the painful memories of my dear cousin, Deborah, who was brutally killed by one chance criminals in March last year. Just like us, her family will be searching for her…,” she wrote on Facebook.
Kemi Yesufu, a gender advocate and journalist stated, “This is so very painful. The police and DSS should collaborate on smashing these killer-once chance gangs. The House of Representatives should also pass a law placing a life-sentence on anyone convicted for the crime of ‘one-chance’. One Reps member even lost an aide to these people recently, this should galvanize the House to take drastic action on this evil crime.”
As residents search for answers, the FCT Police Command was yet to speak on the rising female deaths from “One Chance” and what strategy was in place to arrest the ugly trend.
FCT police spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, could not be reached for comments, and messages to her known mobile number were not responded to.
In May, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, had raised alarm over the complex nature of security challenges facing Abuja and called for a coordinated national approach to address it effectively.
At the budget defence for the FCT’s N1.78 trillion estimates, Wike said the FCT’s unique status as the host of the Presidency, National Assembly, and foreign diplomatic missions makes it impossible to run it as an autonomous entity like other states.
“You cannot talk about autonomy in a city where the President resides, where the Inspector-General of Police, the National Security Adviser, and every corporate head of the country operate from. The security of this city is not something we can handle alone,” Wike said at the time.
