Gunmen Open Fire, Abduct Unspecified Number of Passengers on Enugu–Port Harcourt Expressway

Several passengers were reportedly abducted and others shot on Wednesday morning when gunmen attacked vehicles along the Ezinnachi–Okigwe axis of the Enugu–Port Harcourt expressway. The attack occurred between 9:00 and 10:00 a.m. and appeared to go unchallenged by security forces.

Eyewitnesses said the assailants blocked the highway and ambushed unsuspecting travelers. One passenger, who narrowly escaped the attack after departing Umuahia shortly before the incident, recounted how their driver made a sudden U-turn to avoid the ambush. “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. We don’t know the exact number of victims. Every vehicle is turning and running back to either Okigwe or Umuahia,” the eyewitness told SK.

While the number of casualties and abducted passengers remains unknown, the affected stretch of the road has increasingly become notorious for such violent attacks. Notably, two security checkpoints that previously existed between Ezinnachi and Okigwe have reportedly been dismantled. A new checkpoint has since been positioned just after the Okigwe Roundabout, leaving a long, deserted portion of the dual-carriage highway exposed.

As of the time of reporting, it was unclear whether security operatives had reached the scene of the incident.