An unspecified number of passengers have been abducted on Wednesday morning by gunmen operating along the Ezinnachi/Okigwe axis of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway. Some victims were reportedly shot during the attack, which occurred between 9:00 and 10:00 a.m.
Eyewitnesses said the criminals blocked the expressway and operated freely without any immediate response from security personnel.
A passenger who narrowly escaped the attack recounted how their vehicle, coming from Umuahia, almost ran into the armed men before the driver quickly reversed direction.
“We escaped by divine grace. They were stationed near the hospital under construction after Ezinnachi, heading towards Okigwe. They shot some people, and several vehicles were parked there. We don’t know how many were taken. Vehicles were turning back and speeding toward either Okigwe or Umuahia,” the passenger said.
According to newsmen, it was unclear whether security operatives had arrived at the scene.
The Okigwe-Ezinnachi corridor has recently become a flashpoint for such criminal activities. Observers noted that two security checkpoints previously located between Ezinnachi and Okigwe junctions had been dismantled.
A new checkpoint has now been set up a few metres past the Okigwe Roundabout, in a busy area, leaving a long stretch of the highway deserted and unguarded.
