Heartbreaking Details Emerge on Abducted Corps Members, Police Vow Action
Several NYSC members and other travellers were abducted after gunmen attacked two buses on Imo’s Owerri-Onitsha Expressway. Police rescued 10 victims and launched a search for others.
Several travellers, including National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members heading for orientation camps, were abducted in Imo State after gunmen attacked two commercial buses on the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway in Mbaitoli Local Government Area.
The incident, which occurred around the Umunoha axis of the highway on Thursday, involved passengers travelling from Ibadan to various orientation camps in the South-East and South-South regions.
A distraught mother appealed for help in a video shared online, narrating the abduction of her twin daughter, Kehinde. Kehinde, along with other corps members, had left Ibadan at approximately 9am on Wednesday and spent the night in an Imo State location before resuming their journey early Thursday.
Shortly after 6am, Kehinde sent a single message reading “kidnapper” to her family’s WhatsApp group and attempted a call before her phone became unreachable. The mother indicated that the group was travelling in three vehicles, but one reportedly managed to escape, while passengers in the other two were taken away.
A video later received by the family showed the abandoned vehicle, with reports from the scene confirming that passengers and drivers had been marched into the bush. Kehinde’s twin sister, Taiwo, had already safely arrived in Enugu for her NYSC camp.
Eyewitness accounts and circulating online videos corroborated the incident, detailing how attackers intercepted the buses, robbed passengers of their belongings, and then forced them into a nearby bush.
The two vehicles, reportedly travelling from the Lagos direction towards Anambra, were said to have been caught in slow-moving traffic in the area, which a source indicated is a common tactic for attackers who often strike when vehicles slow down for cattle crossings.
One of the abandoned buses was identified as belonging to Uko Akwa Ibom Motors with the number Uko/133. Eyewitnesses claimed the attackers took all passengers from both buses into the bush after robbing them, with one witness specifically mentioning “Fulani herdsmen and bandits.”
They also noted the arrival of police and army personnel who had entered the bush to search for the victims.
The Imo State Police Command has since confirmed the abduction, with Public Relations Officer DSP Henry Okoye issuing a statement to journalists in Owerri. He disclosed that two buses, conveying NYSC corps members and other passengers from Ibadan to Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, and Bende in Abia State, came under attack by suspected armed men.
Following a swift response by the police and other security agencies, both buses were recovered, and 10 victims were successfully rescued at the scene. The rescued victims are reportedly safe and receiving necessary attention.
DSP Okoye stated that the command is actively working to establish the exact number of people abducted, which will be made public once confirmed. Operatives are conducting a coordinated search-and-rescue operation, supported by intelligence-led tracking, with the aim of locating the suspects and rescuing the remaining victims.
The Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, along with other service commanders, visited the scene to assess the situation and provide operational directives. The command has assured that the security operation will continue until all victims are safely rescued and the perpetrators apprehended.
Furthermore, the police are collaborating with the NYSC Directorate to contact the families of affected corps members and keep them informed. The affected section of the expressway has been reopened to traffic, with security personnel deployed to protect commuters.
The command has appealed for calm and urged the public to remain vigilant, requesting anyone with credible information to report it, assuring utmost confidentiality.
This latest incident has significantly heightened concerns over the safety of travellers along the busy Owerri-Onitsha Expressway, adding to previous reports of kidnapping attacks on major roads in the South-East region.