For motorists and passengers using the Owerri–Onitsha Road, the journey has increasingly become one of anxiety. The latest attack, in which 18 corps members were reportedly abducted, has again brought the security situation along the major highway into sharp focus, with residents recounting how gunmen have repeatedly forced travellers out from their vehicles and marched them into surrounding bushes.

The latest incident occurred on Thursday when gunmen attacked buses conveying NYSC members travelling from Ibadan to their orientation camps in Imo, Abia and Akwa Ibom States.

The attack occurred around 6:30am at Umunoha, along the Onitsha-Owerri Road, according to the Imo State Police Command.

Police said 10 of the victims had been rescued, while eight others were still missing as security operatives combed surrounding forests in search of them.

The incident, however, was not the first to cause panic among communities along the route. The attack occurred in Azara-Obiato Autonomous Community, one of the two autonomous communities that make up Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.

munoha, located about 13 kilometres from Owerri and roughly 80 kilometres from Onitsha, lies along the busy Onitsha-Owerri corridor, a major route connecting Imo State with Anambra State.

Chief Charles Obialor, a community leader in Azara-Obiato Autonomous Community, told The Nation that residents were thrown into panic on Thursday morning after they suddenly heard gunshots.

“We were here when we heard the sound of gunshots. It was in the morning, around 7am. Everybody became afraid because we did not know what was happening,” he said.

According to him, the attackers operated around the highway before taking their victims into the bush, leaving residents and motorists confused and frightened.

Obialor said the development was particularly disturbing because the area had witnessed security concerns in the past.

He said security operatives later moved into the area and began efforts to trace the abductors and locate their victims.

“We are appealing to the government and security agencies to do something about this place. The people are afraid. We need security so that people can move freely and return safely to their homes,” he said.

The community leader believes the vast stretches of undeveloped land and surrounding forests have made it easier for criminals to operate.

He called on the government to clear the bushes and establish a major project in the area to attract legitimate economic activities and increase security presence.

Obialor alleged that some residents had abandoned their farmlands because of fear of attacks by suspected kidnappers and armed herders.

“The government has no project here, no presence in the entire autonomous community. For two years, we have abandoned our farmlands because of fear of being killed by Fulani herdsmen,” he said.

He also alleged that the traditional ruler, HRH Eze Chimeotu Osuebe, Shimoleole I of Azara-Obiato Autonomous Community, was outside the country when the latest incident occurred.

Obialor disagreed with reports that the abductors took their victims to Ifekala bush, saying he suspected they could have been taken towards Alasieke Forest, which he described as difficult to access.

“The place where I suspect they are keeping the victims is Alasieke Forest. It is a very dangerous area,” he said.

Continuing, Obialor disputed the police account that 10 of the victims had been rescued, insisting that 34 people were kidnapped while two others miraculously escaped. He said he suspected that some of the remaining victims were still being held captive by the kidnappers.

A number of indigenes of the area who spoke to The Nation also expressed concern that the attackers allegedly shot sporadically into the air during the operation without apparent resistance, despite the reported presence of a military checkpoint close to the scene of the incident.

The latest attack has also revived accounts of ransom payments involving other travellers along the highway.

Community activist Chidiebube Okeoma said a friend and his family were allegedly kidnapped on the route recently and that N21 million was paid to secure their release.

“A friend of mine and his family were kidnapped on that route last week. He said he paid N21 million to secure their freedom,” Okeoma said.

He said another member of his organisation and his family escaped from an attack, while passengers in another bus were allegedly taken into the bush.

“The things happening on that route are terrible,” he said.

Another resident, Val Okechukwu, recalled an alleged attack involving a family travelling around the Ogbaku axis. He claimed the attackers used cattle to obstruct the highway before taking their victims and that the family later paid N29 million as ransom. The claim could not be independently verified.

One source familiar with the security concerns along the road alleged that attackers sometimes exploit situations where vehicles slow down because of cattle crossing the highway.

“Many people were kidnapped. They usually launch attacks when their cattle are crossing the road because they know vehicles will slow down,” the source said.

The allegations have triggered questions from residents about the effectiveness of security operations along the highway.

George Onyejiuwa alleged that security operations had focused more on other categories of suspects while those responsible for attacks on travellers had continued to operate.

“Tiger Base or whatever name they bear now, are only chasing young men with flashy cars and family land disputes. Fulani kidnappers masquerading as herders have never been arrested or paraded in this state,” he alleged.

The allegations about the identity and activities of the attackers could not be independently established, and the police have not publicly identified the abductors as Fulani herders.

For the families of the eight victims still missing after the latest attack, however, the immediate concern is their safe return.

The Imo Police Command, led by Commissioner of Police CP Audu Garba Bosso, has deployed tactical teams and other security personnel to the area, with operations continuing in the surrounding forests.

The command has also urged members of the public to provide useful information that could help in the search for the remaining victims and the arrest of the attackers.

For residents, the recurring attacks have transformed a major economic route into a source of fear.

The question now confronting government and security agencies is how to secure the highway and surrounding communities permanently rather than mount operations only after another group of travellers has been taken into the bush.(The Nation)