Nineteen citizens were abducted on Tuesday in two separate attacks spanning Rivers and Imo states.
Gunmen stormed student lodges near the Emohua satellite campus community and seized five university students, while another armed group hijacked an Aba-bound commercial bus at Ngor Okpala on the Owerri–Aba Road corridor and abducted 14 passengers.
Security agencies have launched tactical operations across both states, even as analysts warn that repeated incidents signal growing boldness among kidnap-for-ransom networks.
Witness accounts indicate that the attackers neutralized a security dog before forcing entry into off-campus student residences in the Emohua local area around 2 a.m.
The university leadership had earlier stated at a pre-convocation briefing that it was coordinating safety interventions with community security teams and local vigilance networks, while ruling out any immediate campus closure. Tactical security patrols have since expanded to nearby districts and investigators have initiated a manhunt. Local police commands confirm their deployments but have withheld further details pending intelligence.
Bus Hijacked With 14 Passengers in Imo
Eyewitnesses reported that gunmen emerged from a bush path to halt traffic and force 14 passengers off an Aba-bound bus at Ngor Okpala.
The Owerri–Aba Road corridor has logged repeated mass abductions this year, raising concerns over weak deterrence signals and the absence of night surveillance infrastructure.
The Imo police command has now increased tactical patrol frequency, expanded highway response routes, and intensified inter-agency visibility.
Officials say formal reporting on the latest incident remains pending even as security units maintain active patrols.
