On Wednesday morning, gunmen abducted an unspecified number of passengers and reportedly shot several others on the Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway, specifically at the Ezinnachi/Okigwe axis.

The incident occurred between 9:00 and 10:00 AM, with the assailants blocking the highway and operating unchallenged. One passenger recounted that their vehicle nearly encountered the gunmen, prompting the driver to make a quick U-turn to escape.

“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,” the passenger said. Many vehicles turned back in the direction of Okigwe or Umuahia.

As for now, it remains unclear whether security operatives in Imo State have arrived at the scene. The area has become increasingly dangerous, and it was noted that two security checkpoints between Ezinnachi and Okigwe had been dismantled, leaving parts of the highway unpatrolled. A new checkpoint was established near the Okigwe Roundabout, but large stretches of the road remain vulnerable.