The abduction of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and other passengers along the Owerri–Onitsha Road in Imo State has renewed concerns about the safety of Nigeria’s major highways, particularly routes passing through areas with a history of kidnapping.
The attack occurred at about 6:30 a.m. on Thursday, October 1, near Umunoha, a community in Mbaitoli Local Government Area, when gunmen reportedly intercepted two commercial buses travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, towards orientation camps in the South-East and South-South.
The Imo State Police Command said 10 victims had been rescued following a swift response by security agencies, while the two buses involved in the incident were recovered.
However, the police said the exact number of people abducted was still being established. The command said its tactical teams, supported by intelligence-led tracking, were continuing operations to locate the remaining victims and apprehend the attackers.
The incident has caused anxiety among families of the affected corps members, many of whom were travelling to their designated NYSC orientation camps.
According to police, the two buses were conveying passengers from Ibadan to Uyo in Akwa Ibom State and Bende in Abia State when they came under attack.
The Commissioner of Police in Imo State, CP Audu Bosso, alongside other security commanders, visited the scene for an assessment and directed the ongoing search-and-rescue operation.
The affected section of the expressway has since been reopened to traffic, while security personnel remain deployed in the area.
Why are major highways still vulnerable?
The latest incident has again highlighted the security risks faced by Nigerians travelling between states, particularly on highways bordered by large forest areas that can provide concealment for criminal groups.
The Owerri–Onitsha corridor is an important transport route connecting communities and commercial centres across the South-East. An attack on passengers at a location described by police as Umunoha, or “No Man’s Land,” demonstrates the difficulty of maintaining continuous security coverage across long stretches of highway.
The challenge is not limited to Imo.
In August, armed men attacked vehicles along the Aloma–Egane Expressway in Kogi State and abducted passengers, including NYSC members travelling from Bayelsa to Abuja. Police later announced the rescue of 11 victims, including the drivers of the two buses.
That incident also involved attackers emerging from surrounding bush areas and blocking vehicles on the highway.
The recurrence of such attacks raises questions about whether existing security deployments, intelligence gathering, patrol patterns and rapid-response arrangements are sufficiently effective along vulnerable interstate routes.
The NYSC security question
The attacks are particularly significant because NYSC members are required to travel across the country as part of a national programme.
Their journeys can involve long-distance road travel through unfamiliar areas, making security planning important during periods when large numbers of prospective corps members are moving towards orientation camps.
The latest Imo incident therefore places renewed attention on the need for stronger coordination between the NYSC, transport operators and security agencies during mobilisation periods.
For the security agencies, the immediate priority remains locating any victims still in captivity and identifying those responsible for the attack.
For families, however, the incident raises a broader question: how can young Nigerians travelling to serve their country be protected while using highways that remain vulnerable to armed attacks?
The police have urged members of the public to remain vigilant and provide credible information that could assist the investigation and rescue operation.
As the search for the remaining victims continues, the incident is likely to intensify calls for more effective surveillance, intelligence-led patrols and rapid-response mechanisms on major highways across Nigeria.
