PRESS STATEMENT BY BARTH OKOYE ANICHE, ESQ.
Past 3rd Vice President, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Past Publicity Secretary, Eastern Bar Forum
I received with immense relief and gratitude the news of the release of Onyesom Peace Udoka, a bright and promising young colleague who had only just been called to the Nigerian Bar. Her abduction, together with her sister, on the Lokoja–Okene highway shortly after celebrating one of the most significant days of her life, was a chilling reminder of the grave insecurity that continues to plague our nation.
During her period in captivity, I deliberately refrained from making public comments on the matter, not out of indifference but out of caution. I understood the delicate nature of hostage situations and the paramount need not to jeopardise the safety of the victims or undermine the discreet operations of our security agents. Today, with her safe return, I find it both necessary and urgent to speak with the strongest voice possible. 
This is no ordinary crime. To kidnap a lawyer who has just been called to the Bar—on the very heels of her formal induction into the noble profession—is a direct assault not only on her family and community but on the legal profession and indeed on the soul of Nigeria. It is intolerable, and it must mark a turning point.
I commend her resilience and the courage of her family during this harrowing ordeal. I also acknowledge whatever role our security operatives played in facilitating her release. But let us be clear: this nation cannot continue to be run on the basis of relief after tragedy. We must act before tragedy, not merely after.
Therefore, I call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately declare a State of Emergency on Kidnapping across Nigeria. Kidnapping has become an industry of blood and fear, with impunity as its capital. Our highways have been turned into killing fields, our rural communities into hunting grounds, and our citizens into commodities for ransom. This is unacceptable.
Declaring a State of Emergency is not mere rhetoric. It must come with:; A coordinated national strategy that treats kidnapping as terrorism in every sense. Specially trained and well-equipped anti-kidnapping squads deployed nationwide.
Robust intelligence gathering and technology-driven surveillance along highways, forests, and border areas.
Swift prosecution and deterrent sentencing of kidnappers and their sponsors.
A partnership with state governments, traditional institutions, and community networks to break the chain of collaborators and informants who fuel this scourge.
The release of Onyesom Peace Udoka is cause for celebration, but it is also a call to duty. As a nation, we cannot continue to dance between relief and mourning, between ransom and release, while our people are slaughtered and abducted daily.
I urge all Nigerians, particularly leaders at every level, to rise to this defining challenge. The blood of our citizens must no longer water the ground of complacency. Security is the first duty of government, and until every Nigerian can travel, work, study, and live in peace, we cannot claim to have fulfilled the promise of democracy.
Nigeria must act—and act now.
Signed
Barth Okoye Aniche, Esq.
Past 3rd Vice President, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA)
Past Publicity Secretary, Eastern Bar Forum
