Gunmen attacked and killed travelers on Thursday along the Okigwe-Owerri road in Imo State.
Traffic on the busy road was paralyzed for hours as the hoodlums prevented movements.
The exact number of casualties is yet to be confirmed as of the time of filing this report.
The attackers also set ablaze no fewer than 20 vehicles, including a truck.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Imo State Police Command, Henry Okoye, said that the police, in collaboration with other security agencies, have launched a manhunt for the perpetrators.
“The Imo State Police Command, working in synergy with the Military, Department of State Services (DSS), and other sister security agencies, has launched a coordinated manhunt for criminal elements suspected to be members of the proscribed IPOB/ESN. These armed miscreants attacked unsuspecting commuters along the Okigwe-Owerri Road in the early hours of Thursday, 8th May 2025,” he stated.
According to Okoye, the attackers, operating in three separate groups, blocked the highway between Umunna in Onuimo LGA and parts of Okigwe LGA around 5:00 AM. They shot sporadically, creating panic and chaos, before setting vehicles—including trucks and motorcycles—ablaze.
“Tragically, reports of human casualties have also been confirmed as a result of the ambush,” he added.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Aboki Danjuma, reportedly led a joint tactical team comprising the Police, Army, DSS, and other security agencies to the scene. The team provided immediate support to the victims and launched a comprehensive operation to track down and arrest the fleeing suspects responsible for the attack.
Okoye further stated that a “full-scale search and cordon operation is currently underway, with security operatives combing nearby forests and surrounding areas where the suspects are believed to be hiding.”
He assured the public that the operation would continue until all perpetrators are apprehended and brought to justice.
In another incident that occurred in the state on Tuesday, fleeing gunmen suspected to be herdsmen gunned down a truck driver and hijacked an 18-seater bus along the busy Aba-Owerri road in Imo State.
Sources said the incident left road users in the area stranded and terrified.
One Ugo Okere said the gunmen who jumped out from the bush started shooting sporadically, which forced drivers to stop abruptly.
He said, “Everything happened so fast; gunmen who we suspect to be herdsmen just jumped out from surrounding bushes and started shooting into the air. They, however, shot dead a truck driver directly, which forced drivers to stop abruptly.
“Thereafter, they commandeered an 18-seater bus with complete passengers to follow them amidst heavy shooting. They left within minutes and disappeared the same way they appeared.”
When contacted, police spokesperson DSP Henry Okoye said the incident occurred on Tuesday and that the police had begun a manhunt to nab the fleeing gunmen and rescue the kidnapped passengers.
Okoye said, “It’s an old story—an incident that happened two days ago, and we have launched a manhunt to apprehend those behind it.
