JamzNG Latest News, Gist, Entertainment in Nigeria
An unknown number of travellers, including members of the National Youth Service Corps, were reportedly abducted by armed men along the Owerri-Onitsha highway in Imo state on Thursday, October 1.
The incident reportedly occurred around 5.30am when at least two commercial buses were attacked, with passengers allegedly robbed and taken into the bush. The exact number of people affected is not yet clear.
Travelers attacked on Independence Day
According to reports and videos circulating online, some of the passengers were members of the corps that left from Samonda, Ibadan, aboard buses operated by Uko Akwa Ibom Motors.
The corps members were reportedly traveling to assigned orientation camps in the South-East and South-South states, including Akwa Ibom, Enugu, Imo and Abia.
An eyewitness, in a video shared online, said the attackers intercepted buses traveling from Lagos to Anambra state and took passengers into the bush after dispossessing them of their belongings.
“Good morning, my fellow Nigerians. I am reporting from Owerri-Onitsha Road. This happened this morning,” the eyewitness said.
He added that security personnel arrived at the scene, while soldiers reportedly entered the bush in an attempt to locate and rescue the victims.
“The police arrived this morning and the army has already entered the bush to see if they can save the victims,” he said.
Two abandoned buses
Footage from the scene showed two buses abandoned on the side of the road, one of which bore the inscription “Uko Akwa Ibom Motors Nig. Ltd” and the number Uko/133.
The reported attack has heightened concerns among families whose relatives were on their way to NYSC orientation camps in different parts of the South East and South South.
In a separate video shared by Agidigbo FM Ibadan, a woman in distress called for assistance, saying her daughter was among the corps members whose whereabouts were unknown.
According to the woman, her daughter left Samonda Park in Ibadan on Wednesday along with other corps members en route to the eastern part of the country.
She said the family received a message from her daughter in their WhatsApp group shortly after 6am on Thursday. The message reportedly contained the word “kidnapper”, after which his daughter’s phone became unreachable.
The family seeks help
Describing the family’s anguish, the woman said: “Since 6am I have not heard from my daughter and we have not been able to get her exact location. Please, federal government, help us. I only have the two of them.”
He identified the missing corps member as Kehinde and said his twin sister, Taiwo, had already arrived in Enugu for her orientation camp.
Other relatives reportedly visited the park where their loved ones had boarded buses in Ibadan while seeking information on the missing travellers.
However, at the time of writing the report, the identity and number of those allegedly abducted, as well as their current whereabouts, were still unclear.
The Imo State Police Command is yet to release an official statement confirming the incident. His spokesperson, Henry Okoye, had also not responded to requests for comment at the time of reports.
