By Izunna Okafor, Awka
What began for many Nigerians as a day of celebration of the country’s 66th Independence anniversary turned into a nightmare for travellers along the Owerri-Onitsha Road on Thursday, as gunmen reportedly intercepted two commercial buses and abducted their occupants, including serving Corps members.
The attack, which occurred in the early hours of October 1, 2026, around the Umunoha axis of the road in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State, was confirmed by the Imo State Police Command.
According to the Police, 20 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members were among those abducted while travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to different orientation camps in the South-East and South-South.
The Imo State Police Public Relations Officer, Henry Okoye, who confirmed the incident in a telephone conversation with newsmen, said the victims were travelling in a commercial bus when gunmen intercepted them along the highway.
He said the Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Audu Bosso, had visited the scene for an on-the-spot assessment, while security operatives had intensified efforts to locate and rescue the victims unhurt and unconditionally.
Okoye further disclosed that security personnel were combing the surrounding bushes, while a Rapid Response Team had been deployed to track down the attackers and secure the safe release of the abducted corps members.
The police confirmation came after videos showing two abandoned buses on the highway circulated widely on social media earlier in the day.
An eyewitness who recorded one of the videos said the vehicles were travelling from Lagos towards the South-East when armed men stopped them, robbed both the drivers and passengers and forced them into the nearby bush.
One of the buses seen in the footage bore the inscription “Government of Akwa Ibom State” on its front, while “Uko Akwa Ibom Motors Nig. Ltd.” was written on its side.
While some of the eyewitness accounts circulating online described the attackers as Fulani herdsmen and bandits, some others described them as gunmen. These descriptions, notwithstanding, the group and/or the identities of those responsible for the attack remain unknown as of the time of this reports.
The incident has, however, continued to generate reactions and anxiety among families of travellers who could not immediately establish contact with their relatives.
In one of the videos and accounts emerging after the attack, a woman was seen appealing for help over the whereabouts of her daughter, who she said was travelling to an NYSC orientation camp. It was further gathered that some of the passengers had left from the Samonda area of Ibadan and were travelling to camps in different states.
Watch a video from the scene below:
