Several commuters were abducted on Wednesday morning along the Ezinnachi–Okigwe section of the Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway, with reports indicating that some victims were also shot during the attack.
The incident reportedly took place between 9:00 and 10:00 a.m., when armed assailants blocked the busy highway and operated without any resistance.
One passenger, who had left Umuahia shortly before the attack, recounted a close encounter with the attackers. According to him, the driver of their vehicle narrowly avoided danger by making a quick U-turn upon noticing the gunmen.
“We were lucky to escape. The armed men were stationed near the construction site of a hospital just after Ezinnachi, heading toward Okigwe. Shots were fired, and several vehicles had pulled over. It was chaotic. Nobody could tell exactly how many people were taken. All cars were turning back toward Okigwe or Umuahia,” the eyewitness said.
As of the time this report was filed, it remained unclear whether security personnel in Imo State had responded to the scene.
The Ezinnachi–Okigwe stretch of the expressway has seen increased security concerns in recent times. Notably, two checkpoints that previously operated between Ezinnachi junction and Okigwe junction appear to have been removed.
In their place, a new checkpoint has been set up a short distance after the Okigwe Roundabout, located in a more populated area. This has left a long, sparsely populated section of the expressway without regular security presence, potentially exposing road users to increased risk.
