Armed men suspected to be bandits have reportedly kidnapped travellers along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.
A source who pleaded anonymity said the attackers intercepted two commercial buses travelling from Onitsha towards Owerri on Thursday morning around the Umunoha axis, popularly known as No Man’s Land.
The source said several passengers were abducted, although the exact number of victims was yet to be established as of the time of filing the report.
According to the source, the gunmen allegedly took advantage of slow moving traffic caused by cattle crossing the highway to ambush the buses.
He said, “The buses were coming from Onitsha side of the road, it seems they were returning from Lagos. Many people were kidnapped. They usually launch attacks when their cattle are crossing the road because they know vehicles will slow down.”
The incident comes amid growing concerns over kidnapping along the busy highway in recent weeks, with some victims allegedly released after payment of ransom.
The source also alleged that a man and his daughter were abducted on the same route about three weeks ago and were released after payment of N29 million ransom, though the claim could not be independently verified.
Efforts to obtain confirmation from the Imo State Police Command were not successful as of press time. The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Henry Okoye had yet to respond to enquiries.
However, some reports said the command confirmed the incident and disclosed that 10 victims had been rescued with operations ongoing to rescue others.
The Owerri-Onitsha Expressway remains a major link for travellers between the South-East and other parts of the country.
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