RismadarVoice Reporters
October 1, 2026
Several travellers, including persons reportedly to be prospective National Youth Service Corps members, have allegedly been abducted after gunmen attacked commercial buses along the Owerri–Onitsha Expressway in Imo State.
The incident reportedly occurred in the early hours of Thursday, October 1, as Nigeria marked its 66th Independence anniversary.
Reports indicated that two commercial buses were attacked, although the exact number and identities of those abducted had not been officially established as of the time of filing this report.
Videos circulating online showed a commercial bus abandoned by the roadside following the reported attack, while accounts from people at the scene suggested that passengers and drivers were taken away.
Some of those feared abducted were reported to be prospective corps members travelling from Ibadan to orientation camps in parts of the South-East and South-South.
Information provided by relatives indicated that some of the travellers had boarded buses from Samonda, Ibadan, for journeys to orientation camps in Akwa Ibom, Enugu, Imo and Abia states.
Relatives subsequently visited the motor park after losing contact with some of the passengers and appealed to other families whose relatives travelled on the affected route to establish whether they had reached their destinations.
One woman said her child, who was travelling to an orientation camp, had communicated with the family earlier on Thursday before contact was lost.
The identity of the attackers, the precise location of the reported abduction and the number of people taken away remained unclear.
As of Thursday afternoon, neither the Imo State Police Command nor the NYSC had publicly confirmed the identities or number of prospective corps members reportedly involved.
The incident comes amid continuing security concerns along parts of the Owerri–Onitsha corridor and adjoining communities in Imo State.
Further details are expected as security authorities investigate the attack and establish the identities and number of those affected.
