Gunmen Hijack Two Buses, Kidnap 19 Prospective Corps Members, Others In Imo

Terrorists have reportedly hijacked two 18-seater buses and abducted several passengers, including 19 prospective National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, members, along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway in Imo State.

The buses were said to be conveying prospective corps members from Ibadan, Oyo State, to different states in the South-East when the attackers intercepted them at the Umunoha axis of the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway in Mbaitoli Local Government Area in the early hours of Thursday.

A source in the area said the attackers marched the passengers into the bush before security personnel arrived at the scene.

The mother of one of the victims, Mrs Alimotu Akanke, who narrated the incident in a social media post, said her son, Akande Farouq, was travelling to Abia State for the mandatory national service.

She said the prospective corps members departed from Samonda, Ibadan, around 10am on Wednesday and later stopped after Onitsha to rest before continuing their journey in the early hours of Thursday.

According to her, the families of the passengers had been monitoring their movement when they suddenly received a brief message indicating that the travellers had encountered kidnappers.

She said, “The next thing we saw was a brief text message: ‘Kidnappers!’ Immediately after sending ‘kidnappers’, the person could not communicate again. Since then, we haven’t been able to reach them or talk to them.”

Akanke said a video recorded by another passenger helped the families confirm that the vehicle had been attacked, adding that only the driver of one of the buses reportedly escaped.

She further said about five passengers were allegedly taken from the second vehicle, while some others escaped alongside its driver.

According to her, about 19 passengers who boarded the buses in Ibadan were believed to have been abducted.

The distraught mother appealed to the Federal Government, security agencies and the NYSC management to intensify efforts to rescue the victims and secure their safe return.

She said the abduction had turned what was expected to be a period of excitement for the prospective corps members and their families into a distressing experience.

The victims were reportedly travelling to Uyo in Akwa Ibom State, Bende in Abia State and other locations for their NYSC deployment when the incident occurred.