The Nigerian Law School Class of 2019 and concerned colleagues have urgently appealed to Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President, Mazi Afam J. Osigwe, SAN, to leverage the association’s influence for the safe release of two abducted lawyers: Jeffrey Lotanna Ucheagwu, Esq., missing since October 16, 2025, in Imo State, and Isyaku Muhammed Danjuma, Esq., held captive for 46 days in Niger State.

These cases raise concern about the perilous insecurity facing Nigeria’s bar, with families and the profession pleading for escalated action involving top security officials.

Ucheagwu, a 2019 call-to-bar graduate and NBA Anaocha Branch member, was last seen along the Owerri–Imo Road, where gunmen abducted him in a daylight attack. Despite a ransom of ₦2.1 million being paid, the abductors have gone silent, leaving his family, the Enugu Campus Class of 2019, and colleagues in torment. In a viral statement, the class implored Osigwe, described as a “people-centric and kindhearted” leader, to “bring attention to Mr. Ucheagwu’s case, ensuring that all relevant authorities are apprised of his disappearance and are working assiduously to secure his release.”

Echoing this desperation, an anonymous practitioner highlighted Danjuma’s plight a Birnin Kebbi Branch member kidnapped on October 1, 2025, during a bandit raid in Ibeto town, Magama LGA, Niger State, that killed four and injured 11. “Sir, it appears many lawyers have been held captive by kidnappers owing to the insecurity bedeviling the nation,” the plea reads, urging Osigwe to escalate the matter to National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu. “Pls, Sir, we want your administration to step in… so that people held captive by kidnappers can be rescued. Pls, hear our plea and assist and God Almighty be our help. Aameen.”

The NBA previously condemned Danjuma’s abduction, demanding his release and advising caution in high-risk Kebbi areas bordering Niger State. Yet, with no breakthroughs in either case as of November 15, the appeals invoke the profession’s ethos of “solidarity, justice, and the protection of human rights.” “Mr. Ucheagwu’s disappearance not only affects his family and colleagues but also strikes at the heart of our professional community,” the Class of 2019 stated, a sentiment that resonates deeply for Danjuma’s supporters.

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