Panic gripped commuters along the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway on Saturday evening following reports of a daring kidnapping by gunmen.
Eyewitnesses and local sources said that the incident occurred near the "New Spare Parts" area by Owa Express, just a few metres from the MOPU Junction.
Sources said the attackers struck during the peak evening hours, between 6:00 PM and 6:30 PM, intercepting vehicles and forcibly taking an unspecified number of passengers into nearby bushes, despite a checkpoint manned by the Highway Safe Road Police Squad close to the scene.
One source, who narrowly escaped the ambush, described the scene as chaotic, with motorists abandoning their vehicles in a desperate attempt to evade the gunmen.
"Kidnappers came to Enugu-Onitsha Road, by New Spare Parts, and by Owa Express before MOPU Junction. They kidnapped some people on Saturday evening around 6 pm or after 6 pm, being February 7, 2026," the source narrated in a frantic alert.
The section of the road where the abduction took place has long been a flashpoint for criminal activities, despite its proximity to security checkpoints.
The ‘New Spare Parts’ area serves as a major transit point for traders and travellers moving between the commercial hub of Onitsha and the coal city of Enugu.
Meanwhile, residents and regular commuters along the highway have voiced growing frustration over what they describe as the apparent inability of security agencies to secure the corridor, despite the presence of multiple police and military checkpoints.
The latest abduction comes amid a string of similar incidents along the expressway, which has seen a resurgence of banditry and kidnapping-for-ransom in recent months.
Frequent travellers are now urging the state government and police high command to step up patrols along the Owa Express and MOPU Junction axis, particularly during the evening hours.
"It is terrifying because this happened so early in the evening. We are no longer safe even on major highways," another commuter lamented on social media.
The incident occurred despite the recent unveiling of two advanced surveillance drones by the state government, which were touted as a potential game-changer in combating frequent kidnappings along the state’s highways.
The drones are reportedly equipped with the capacity to detect, track, and intercept kidnappers hiding in the bushes.
Attempts to reach the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for the Enugu State Command, SP Daniel Ndukwe, for comment were unsuccessful at the time of filing, as calls to his line went unanswered.
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