Tension gripped motorists on Wednesday morning as unidentified gunmen ambushed commuters along the Ezinnachi–Okigwe stretch of the Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway in Imo State, abducting an unspecified number of passengers and reportedly shooting several others.
The brazen daylight attack, which occurred between 9:00 and 10:00 am, left many shaken as the criminals blocked the highway near a hospital under construction, forcing vehicles to a halt and operating freely without immediate intervention from security forces.
According to eyewitness accounts, the attackers positioned themselves strategically along the expressway, intercepting oncoming vehicles. One passenger, who departed Umuahia shortly before the incident, recounted how their driver narrowly avoided the ambush.
“We escaped by divine grace. They stationed close to the hospital under construction after Ezinnachi before Okigwe. They shot some people and some vehicles were parked there. We don’t know the exact number of victims. Every vehicle is turning and running back to either Okigwe or Umuahia,” the eyewitness said.
At the time of this report, security personnel had yet to arrive at the scene, raising fresh concerns about the vulnerability of travellers and the effectiveness of highway policing in the region.
This section of the expressway, particularly the Ezinnachi–Okigwe axis, has increasingly become a danger zone for road users in recent months. Travellers and locals say they’ve witnessed a growing number of violent attacks, with minimal security presence to deter or respond to such threats.
Notably, about two security checkpoints previously situated between Ezinnachi Junction and Okigwe Junction have reportedly been dismantled, creating an unguarded stretch of road. A new checkpoint has been set up only after the Okigwe Roundabout, a more populated and less vulnerable location, leaving a vast, deserted portion of the expressway exposed to criminal activity.
The Imo State Police Command has yet to release an official statement on the incident, and the exact number of abducted or injured persons remains unknown.
This latest highway assault underscores the deteriorating state of road safety in Nigeria, particularly in the South-East, where incidents of banditry, abductions, and targeted violence have spiked in recent years. The dismantling of checkpoints in known high-risk zones raises critical questions about security strategy and government response.
For now, residents and travellers on the Enugu-Port Harcourt route are urging authorities to urgently restore effective policing and conduct aerial and ground patrols in the affected areas to prevent further bloodshed.
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