A 29-YEAR-OLD Kogi State University graduate, Blessing Moshood, was found dead in a canal in Jikwoyi, Abuja, on Thursday, May 21.

According to the deceased’s sister, Abigail Moshood, who spoke with Daily Trust, Blessing had stepped out of their home around 8pm after receiving a phone call. She explained that the deceased later reached out again about an hour later, mentioning she would briefly return home to collect her phone charger, which she had left behind.

However, concern grew when Blessing did not return as said and could not be reached the following day.

“We later heard people talking about the body of a woman discovered inside a canal, and someone described the type of hairstyle the deceased had on, which matched my sister’s,” she said.

She added, “My mother started crying, and we also learnt that policemen from the Jikwoyi Police Station had evacuated the corpse, which was found half-naked with only a top on, to a mortuary in Mararaba, Nasarawa State.”

Her sister further explained that when she visited the Jikwoyi Police Station to seek clarity, she was shown images of the recovered body, which confirmed her worst fears.

In the neighbourhood, residents described Blessing as warm and intelligent. One of them, Margaret, said she was well-educated and easy to talk to.

“I learnt she graduated with a Second Class Upper in Sociology, and whenever she spoke, you could hardly fault her English,” she said.

“She was also very friendly in this neighbourhood and will be greatly missed by all of us, especially the children who have been crying since they learnt of her death.”

Another resident, Abdullahi Musa, called on security agencies to step up patrols and intensify operations around the Jikwoyi Medical Centre axis, noting that cases of phone snatching and other crimes were common in the area.

Daily Trust reported that the spokesperson of the Federal Capital Territory Police Command, Adeh Josephine, a superintendent of police, confirmed the incident and said investigations are ongoing. However, when The ICIR reached out to her, she said she was not aware of the incident but would look into it.

Abuja has witnessed a disturbing rise in suspected “one chance” attacks involving unpainted commercial vehicles, with victims reportedly robbed, assaulted, and in some cases pushed out of moving vehicles.

Apart from the once chance menace, there are other major crimes in the city, including armed robbery and kidnapping.

Among such cases reported by THE ICIR was that of Chinemerem Chuwumeziem, a nurse at Federal Medical Centre, Jabi, who was said to have boarded a vehicle after work but was later found dead by the roadside.

Another victim, Nwamaka Chigbo, a senior lawyer and former Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Abuja branch treasurer, was reportedly attacked after boarding a vehicle along the Kubwa Expressway and pushed out while the vehicle was in motion, leading to her death.

The incidents have raised growing concern over residents’ safety in the nation’s