Many Feared Killed As Gunmen Block Highway
.Police, army launch manhunt for attackers
Criminals on Thursday morning laid siege between the road in Umuna in the Onuimo Local Government Area and parts of Okigwe LGA in Imo state.
The invasion which started around 5am saw the hoodlums killed people and burnt no fewer than 20 vehicles which included trucks and articulated vehicles.
The development caused panic in area, causing motorists plying the route to make quick U- turn, even as residents fled their homes.
Our correspondent learnt that the vehicles that left Owerri for Enugu and Okigwe, respectively stopped on the way. When the attacks couldn’t abate they halted their journeys and returned to Owerri.
No reason had been aduced as to the cause of the attack which resorted in the killings and wanton destruction of properties as of the time of filing the report.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the police in the state, Henry Okoye, has disclosed that a joint operation comprising the police, military and the personnel of State Security Services were working to curb the menace.
He acknowledged the lost of human lives and razing of over 20 vehicles in the attack.
Okoye, disclosed that the state commissioner of Police, Aboki Danjuma, had led a team of security operatives to the scene of the attack.
On arrival, Okoye disclosed that the CP’s team “provided immediate support to victims and initiated a comprehensive operation to track down and arrest the fleeing suspects responsible for this heinous attack.”
The police spokesperson in the state said “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.
“The attackers, operating in three separate groups, blocked the highway between Umunna in Onuimo LGA and parts of Okigwe LGA at about 0500hrs. They shot sporadically, causing panic and chaos, and set over twenty vehicles, including trucks and motorcycles—ablaze. Tragically, reports of human casualties have also been confirmed as a result of the ambush.
“Responding swiftly to the distress call, the Commissioner of Police, CP Aboki Danjuma, led a joint tactical team of the Police, Army, DSS, and other security agencies to the scene. The team provided immediate support to victims and initiated a comprehensive operation to track down and arrest the fleeing suspects responsible for this heinous attack.
“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. The Commissioner has assured the public that the operation will continue until all perpetrators are apprehended and brought to justice.
“While condemning the attack in the strongest terms and describing it as a cowardly act of terror, CP Aboki Danjuma called on Imolites to remain calm, law-abiding, and security conscious. He further urged residents to cooperate with security agencies by providing credible and timely information to aid ongoing operations.
“The Imo State Police Command, together with its security partners, remains fully committed to restoring normalcy and safeguarding the lives and property of all residents and road users across the state.”
