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While Nigeria marked its 66th independence anniversary on Thursday, gunmen suspected to be herdsmen abducted passengers of an 18-seater commercial bus along the Owerri-Onitsha expressway.
The incident, captured in a viral video now trending on social media, was said to have occurred at about 5.30 am at a spot popularly known as No Man’s Land, Umunoha, Mbaitoli LGA of the state.
Eyewitnesses said the attackers whisked all the passengers into the bush.
Sources said shortly after the abduction, military personnel moved into the bush in an attempt to rescue the victims.
It could not be ascertained as of press time whether the military and police checkpoints along that axis had resumed operations when the incident occurred.
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Residents and motorists who ply the route say the spot has become prone to kidnapping in recent weeks.
“A friend of mine and his family were kidnapped on that route last week. He said he paid N21m to secure their freedom. A member of my organisation said he and his family escaped but a bus conveying people was seized. They were all marched into the bush by Fulani bandits who hid in the midst of their cows. The things happening on that route are terrible,” an eyewitness alleged.
Another source said, “Recently, a young lady based in the USA narrated how her brother-in-law, the daughter-in-law and one other person were kidnapped along Ogbaku Road by Fulani herdsmen. The bandits blocked the highway with their cows. Her family paid N29 million as ransom. She said that the incident forced them to cancel their flight tickets for the Christmas holiday. The security operatives have a lot of questions to answer.”
Police authorities in Imo State had yet to issue an official statement on the incident at the time of filing this report.
The Owerri-Onitsha road remains a major link for travellers between the South-East and other parts of the country.
