Police debunk reports of travellers’ abduction in Imo

The Imo State Police Command has dismissed reports that passengers in a 14-seater bus were kidnapped along the busy Aba road, Owerri, the state capital, on Tuesday.

Residents claimed that a fully loaded bus travelling from Owerri to Aba, Abia State, was attacked in the morning and that all passengers were abducted by fleeing gunmen.

However, the spokesperson for the Imo State Command, Henry Okoye, in an interview with PUNCH Online, described the claims as false, saying the video circulating online was an old clip being reposted to cause panic.

During a video call, Okoye showcased police operatives, led by the state Commissioner of Police, Aboki Danjuma, alongside Army and vigilante personnel, in a show of force at Umuneke, a short distance from Ihitte junction.

Okoye said that as of 6pm, no report of kidnapping had been received, nor was any incident confirmed along the busy Aba road.

He stated, “As you can see for yourself, we are here for an on-the-spot assessment, and I can tell you that there was no kidnapping on this road yesterday. However, I can confirm that there was a kidnap incident in Owerri yesterday, but none today.

“People should disregard that trending video; it is an old clip being recycled. The Police, Army, and Vigilante operatives are on the ground to ensure the safety of travellers.”

Okoye, however, expressed surprise over the attack on the advance team of Governor Alex Otti of Abia State, noting that the command had not received a formal report.

“I’m surprised at the Abia State Governor’s convoy attack, but we are yet to get a formal report,” he said.

Meanwhile, residents in Owerri expressed fears over a sudden wave of attacks along the Aba road, which leads to the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport.

Sources claimed that a 14-seater bus was attacked along Aba road in Ngor Okpala Local Government Area on Tuesday morning, the same day Otti’s convoy came under attack.

Eyewitnesses who filmed the abandoned bus said the gunmen stopped the passengers in a gestapo-style operation, brandishing heavy firearms.

A source who spoke on condition of anonymity said other travellers in nearby vehicles kept their distance to watch the gunmen move the passengers to another vehicle.

The incidents have heightened fears among Imo residents over their safety, especially along Aba road in Ngor Okpala LGA.

An Owerri-based activist, Nnamdi Paulcy Iwuala, took to Facebook to comment on the attacks.

He wrote, “I was meant to go to Aba today, but I woke up to so many reports of kidnapping along Aba road, three kidnappings, to be precise.

“To be certain, I made calls to people I know have valid info, and it turned out to be true. I stayed home.”

Another resident urged security operatives to dismantle the gangs terrorising travellers, noting that the road, with its long stretches of bush, has been a recurring target for fleeing gunmen.