The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has called for an urgent review of security arrangements along the Owerri–Onitsha Road following the abduction of prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and other passengers in Imo State.
The incident reportedly occurred around Umunoha on October 1, when armed men intercepted two buses conveying prospective corps members and other passengers.
The Imo State Police Command has reported the rescue of 10 victims, while security operations to locate and rescue others are ongoing.
Reacting to the incident, RULAAC Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, welcomed the rescue efforts but questioned how armed groups continue to intercept vehicles and abduct passengers along a major highway with visible security deployments.
RULAAC said the incident raised “urgent questions about the effectiveness of security arrangements” along the corridor, particularly the Umunoha–Ukwuorji axis.
“How are armed groups able to repeatedly intercept vehicles, abduct passengers and move their victims away from this corridor despite these security deployments?” the organisation asked.
It stressed that its questions should not be interpreted as an allegation of complicity against security personnel.
“This is not an allegation of complicity against security personnel. It is a legitimate demand for accountability and explanation,” RULAAC said.
The organisation called on the Nigerian Army, the Imo State Police Command, and the Imo State Government to explain the security architecture covering the Umunoha–Ukwuorji axis and the wider Owerri–Onitsha corridor.
According to RULAAC, security on a major highway should go beyond static checkpoints where motorists are stopped and searched.
“Effective security requires intelligence gathering, mobile patrols, surveillance of identified hotspots, rapid response and coordination among security agencies,” it said.
RULAAC also urged authorities to review previous abductions along the corridor and determine whether the perpetrators were identified and prosecuted.
It asked security agencies to identify the gaps discovered during previous incidents, the corrective measures introduced, and why similar attacks have continued.
“The presence of checkpoints should translate into greater safety for road users,” RULAAC said.
It added that repeated kidnappings around the same corridor despite visible security deployments should prompt an examination of the effectiveness of those deployments.
The organisation therefore called for an urgent joint security review of the Owerri–Onitsha Road, with particular attention to the Umunoha–Ukwuorji axis.
The review, it said, should focus on kidnapping hotspots, intelligence gaps, patrol patterns, response times and inter-agency coordination.
RULAAC said the immediate priority should be the safe rescue of all persons still being held and the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the abductions.
However, it stressed that rescue operations alone would not address the underlying security concerns.
“Something is clearly not working along the Owerri–Onitsha corridor. The public deserves to know why
and what the authorities are doing differently to prevent the next abduction,” the organisation said.
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