{"id":1330,"date":"2026-10-02T09:39:05","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T09:39:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/primerisenews.com\/?p=1330"},"modified":"2026-10-02T09:39:05","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T09:39:05","slug":"gunmen-%e2%81%a0%e2%81%a0%e2%81%a0%e2%81%a0%e2%81%a0%e2%81%a0%e2%81%a0%e2%81%a0%e2%81%a0alle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/primerisenews.com\/?p=1330","title":{"rendered":"Gunmen \u200b\u200c\u200c\u200d\u2060\u2060\u200b\u200d\u2060\u2060\u200c\u2060\u2060\u2060\u200b\u200d\u2060\u2060\u200b\u200c\u200ballegedly abduct prospective corps members, other travellers in Imo"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Peter Okolie<\/p>\n

Passengers, including some prospective corps members, reportedly travelling in two branded commercial buses, were on Thursday allegedly abducted by gunmen within Umunoha axis, on the Onitsha-Owerri Expressway in Imo.<\/p>\n

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An eyewitness told newsmen, on the condition of anonymity, that the hoodlums attacked the travellers around 6:00am.<\/p>\n

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The account further explained that the victims were on a night journey from Lagos, when their vehicle was attacked by the hoodlums.<\/p>\n

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The victims were said to have been forcefully marched into the bush at gun point.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThis is a terrible incident that has continued to recur unabated on this particular road.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe Onitsha Road and the Ogbaku \u2013 Ejemkwuru-Izombe have become a dangerous route due to the activities of these criminals,\u201d the account further explained.<\/p>\n

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Another account stated that no week would pass without one or multiple violent attacks and abduction of unsuspecting travellers.<\/p>\n

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The eyewitness, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, urged the Commissioner of Police to deploy anti-kidnapping operatives in the area to beef up security and safeguard the lives of travellers.<\/p>\n

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The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Henry Okoye, confirmed the incident in a statement issued to newsmen in Owerri.<\/p>\n

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Okoye said that the command, in collaboration with other security agencies, had intensified efforts to rescue the victims and arrest the suspects.<\/p>\n

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\u201cTwo buses, conveying NYSC corps members and other passengers from Ibadan to Uyo, and Bende in Abia, respectively, were attacked by suspected armed men.<\/p>\n

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\u201cFollowing a swift response by the Police and other security agencies, both buses have been recovered and 10 victims were rescued at the scene,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n

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He further stated that the rescued victims were in safe hands and being attended to.<\/p>\n

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The statement also disclosed that the exact number of persons abducted was being verified and would be made public, once confirmed.<\/p>\n

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\u201cOperatives are conducting coordinated search and rescue operation, backed by intelligence-led tracking of the suspects.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, alongside other Service Commanders, visited the scene for an on-the-spot assessment and to give operational direction,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

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He assured the public that the command would sustain the operation until all the victims had been safely rescued and the suspects brought to justice.<\/p>\n

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Okoye also hinted that the command was collaborating with the NYSC Directorate to reach the families of the affected corps members, who would be informed as developments unfolded.<\/p>\n

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He said the affected section of the expressway had been reopened to ensure free flow of traffic, while security personnel had been deployed to the road to protect commuters.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe command appeals for calm and urges the public to remain vigilant.<\/p>\n

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\u201cAnyone with credible information should report to the nearest police station or contact the command\u2019s emergency lines.<\/p>\n

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\u201cAll information will be treated in utmost confidentiality,\u201d he further stated.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Passengers, including some prospective corps members, reportedly travelling in two branded commercial buses, were on Thursday allegedly abducted by gunmen within Umunoha axis, on the Onitsha-Owerri Expressway in Imo.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1331,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[18],"tags":[480,782,783],"class_list":["post-1330","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-defence-and-security","tag-abduction","tag-gunmen","tag-travellers"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/primerisenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/GUNMEN1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/primerisenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1330","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/primerisenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/primerisenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primerisenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primerisenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1330"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/primerisenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1330\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1332,"href":"https:\/\/primerisenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1330\/revisions\/1332"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primerisenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/primerisenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primerisenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primerisenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}