Gunmen attack commercial vehicle in Imo, kill passengers and set several vehicles ablaze

Unknown gunmen attacked a commercial bus along Okigwe-Owerri road in Imo state today May 8, leaving a number of persons dead. 

The gunmen after the vicious attack, set ablaze no fewer than eight vehicles, including a truck whose driver ran for his life during the attack. 

Confirming the incident to newsmen, the spokesperson for the Imo State Police Command, Henry Okoye, said that the police, in collaboration with other security agencies, have launched a manhunt for the perpetrators of the crime,

“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,” he stated.

According to Okoye, the attackers, operating in three separate groups, blocked the highway between Umunna in Onuimo LGA and parts of Okigwe LGA around 5am, shooting sporadically, creating panic and chaos, before setting vehicles including trucks and motorcycles ablaze.

“Tragically, reports of human casualties have also been confirmed as a result of the ambush,” he added.

He mentioned that the state Commissioner of Police, CP Aboki Danjuma, led a joint tactical team comprising the Police, Army, DSS, and other security agencies to the scene. The team provided immediate support to the victims and launched a comprehensive operation to track down and arrest the fleeing suspects responsible for the attack.

Okoye further stated that 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.”

He assured the public that the operation would continue until all perpetrators are apprehended and brought to justice.