GUNFIRE AND ABDUCTIONS REPORTED ALONG ENUGU-NSUKKA HIGHWAY NEAR OPI JUNCTION AS COMMUTERS NARROWLY ESCAPE ATTACK

Tension and panic gripped motorists along the Enugu–Nsukka expressway after armed assailants launched an attack on commuters approximately 500 meters from the strategic Opi Junction, resulting in gunfire, vehicle damage, and the abduction of multiple road users.

​Eyewitness accounts, including a report shared by Dr. Thaddy Asogwa, describe scenes of chaos as northbound and southbound traffic ground to a halt. Vehicles were forced to make abrupt U-turns and emergency stops as oncoming drivers frantically flagged down approaching motorists to warn them of active danger ahead.

​Among those caught in the ambush was the Chief Executive Officer of a prominent Enugu-based real estate firm, whose vehicle was repeatedly targeted by gunfire. Photos and testimonies from the scene revealed severe ballistic damage to the exterior and interior of the car, with bullet fragments and shattered glass scattered throughout the vehicle. The executive narrowly survived the shooting before being assisted by fellow road users who pulled over to offer help.

​Beyond the immediate attack on vehicles, travelers reported evidence of multiple abductions at a nearby road bypass currently under construction. Commuters who formed a protective convoy to navigate past the danger zone reported finding abandoned footwear, personal luggage, and vehicles left by victims who were forcibly taken into surrounding forests by the armed gang.

​The incident has sparked renewed calls from civic groups and community leaders for heightened security deployments, active patrols, and immediate tactical interventions along the vulnerable stretches of the Ugwogo–Opi–Nsukka corridor to safeguard travelers and secure surrounding rural communities.