Chaos on Aba–Owerri Highway: Gunmen Strike, Kill Driver, Abduct Travellers Amidst New Security Taskforce

“A fatal attack on the Aba–Owerri highway has heightened tension days after Governors Alex Otti and Hope Uzodimma launched a joint security taskforce. Gunmen killed an SUV driver and abducted travellers in Imo State as police began bush-combing operations.”

A new wave of insecurity has hit the South-east as gunmen on Sunday killed a driver and abducted several travellers along the ever-busy Aba–Owerri highway, despite the recent launch of a joint security taskforce by the Abia and Imo State governments.

The attack occurred in Amala, a community in Ngor-Okpala Local Government Area of Imo State, where the assailants targeted motorists, yesterday, Monday, at about 5:50 p.m.

The spokesperson for the Imo State Police Command, Henry Okoye, confirmed the incident in a statement yesterday, Monday. Mr Okoye, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, said the attackers “emerged from a nearby bush” and opened fire on the driver of a Toyota Highlander SUV, killing him on the spot.

He added that the gunmen then intercepted a separate Lexus SUV and abducted “all occupants” of the vehicle. The police did not immediately disclose the exact number of victims abducted.

His statement reads in part: “Preliminary findings indicate that at about 17:50 hrs, armed men emerged from a bush path at Amala, shot the driver of a Toyota Highlander Jeep (SMK 514 BD), and abducted the occupants of a Lexus RS300 (FSD 334 XA).

“On receiving the information, officers from Ngor-Okpala Division swiftly mobilised to the scene, secured the area, and evacuated the victim to the hospital, where he was confirmed dead.

“Consequently, joint security operatives have commenced bush-combing, search-and-rescue, and suspect-tracking within the Amala forest axis and surrounding communities. Investigations have commenced with promising progress made toward apprehending those responsible.

“The Imo State Police Command assures residents that all necessary resources are being deployed to rescue the victims and forestall future occurrences,” Okoye stated.

Manhunt Launched

Mr Okoye disclosed that the Imo State Commissioner of Police, Aboki Danjuma, has ordered an intensive manhunt for the attackers. Security agencies—including the police, military, DSS operatives and local vigilantes—have begun bush-combing and search-and-rescue operations across the Amala forest axis and surrounding communities.

“Joint security operatives have commenced bush-combing, search-and-rescue and suspect-tracking within the Amala forest axis and neighbouring communities,” he stated.

He urged residents to remain calm and to assist the ongoing operation by providing “credible information” to security agencies.

Attack Comes Days After Launch of Joint Security Taskforce

The incident occurred just days after Governor Alex Otti of Abia State and his Imo State counterpart, Hope Uzodimma, inaugurated a joint security taskforce as part of efforts to curb increasing attacks on the highway linking both states.

Ferdinand Ekeoma, media aide to Governor Otti, announced that both governors reached the decision during an emergency meeting at the Imo State Government House in Owerri last Thursday.

According to him, the taskforce is mandated to conduct 24-hour surveillance along the Aba–Owerri Expressway, stretching from Owerrinta in Abia State to Owerri in Imo State and adjoining routes. The team comprises personnel from the military, police, State Security Service, and other security formations.

The initiative was announced two days after three government officials attached to Governor Otti were attacked in Owerri.

Rising Insecurity in the South-east

The South-east region has witnessed worsening insecurity in recent years, with Imo State particularly affected. Attacks by gunmen have routinely targeted security agencies, government personnel, public institutions, and civilians.

Kidnappers, cult groups, armed robbers, and separatist elements have all contributed to the region’s fragile security climate. This is even as over hundreds of citizens have been gruesomely killed, abducted, or injured in recurring attacks.

This is even as the Federal government has consistently accused the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) of having a hand in the rising insecurity but the group has repeatedly denied any involvement.

IPOB, which seeks the creation of an independent state of Biafra from the South-east and parts of the South-south, remains proscribed. Its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, was recently convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by a Federal High Court in Abuja on terrorism-related charges.

Meanwhile, the APC government’s perceived silence to the incessant massacring of southeasterners and the subsequent kidnapping of the people by suspected Fulani has left the people in a state of wonderment. There speculations that the federal government places more value on the lives of cattle than humans.