A mother has raised an urgent alarm after her daughter, a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, sent a one-word distress message—"kidnapper"—to the family's WhatsApp group before her phone went completely unreachable. The incident follows a reported mass abduction on the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway in Imo State on Thursday, October 1.
The attack occurred around the Umunoha axis of the highway in Mbaitoli Local Government Area, where gunmen intercepted two commercial buses carrying passengers travelling from the Lagos direction towards Anambra State.
Distress Call and Family's Desperation
The woman, who shared a video online pleading for government intervention, said her daughter Kehinde left Ibadan around 9am on Wednesday alongside other corps members heading to orientation camps in the South-East and South-South. The group spent the night somewhere in Imo State before resuming their journey early Thursday morning.
Shortly after 6am, Kehinde sent the message to the family group chat and tried to place a call. After that, her phone became impossible to reach. "Since past 6am, I have not been able to hear from my child, and we couldn't get her exact location anymore. Please, federal government, help us. I only have the two of them," the woman said in the video.
She added that the convoy consisted of three vehicles, one of which reportedly managed to escape while passengers in the remaining two were taken away. The family later received a video showing one of the vehicles. She also confirmed that Kehinde's twin sister, Taiwo, had already arrived safely at her NYSC camp in Enugu.
How the Attack Unfolded
Eyewitnesses at the scene described how the attackers used slow-moving traffic caused by cattle crossing the road as cover to strike. "Many people were kidnapped. They usually launch attacks when cattle are crossing the road because they know vehicles will slow down," a source familiar with the incident said.
Videos from the scene showed both buses sitting empty on the highway, with crowds of residents and other road users gathered nearby. One of the buses was identified as belonging to Uko Akwa Ibom Motors, with the registration number Uko/133.
An eyewitness speaking on camera said the police had arrived at the scene and that the army had entered the nearby bush in an attempt to rescue those taken. "They kidnapped all the passengers in the two 18-seater buses," he said, urging people to check on their loved ones.
Official Response and Broader Context
The precise number of passengers abducted had not been confirmed at the time this report was filed. The Imo State Police Command had not released an official statement, and its spokesperson, DSP Henry Okoye, had not responded to calls and messages seeking comment on the incident.
Previously, Legit.ng reported that armed gunmen kidnapped several NYSC members on Wednesday along the Aloma-Egane Expressway in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State. Those corps members had just completed their orientation programme at the NYSC camp in Kolokuma/Opokuma LGA of Bayelsa State and were travelling back when they were seized. The family now awaits government intervention and any news of Kehinde's whereabouts as security forces continue their search in the bush near the attack scene.
