Gunmen have abducted an unspecified number of passengers on the Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway, specifically at the Ezinnachi/Okigwe axis. The incident occurred on Wednesday morning between 9:00 and 10:00 am, when the gunmen blocked the highway and operated without challenge. Some passengers were reportedly shot by the gunmen. A passenger who narrowly escaped the incident described how the vehicle's driver had to make a sudden U-turn to avoid running into the gunmen. “We escaped by divine grace. They stationed close to the hospital under construction after Ezinnachi before Okigwe. They shot some people and some vehicles were parked there. We don’t know the exact number of victims. Every vehicle is turning and running back to either Okigwe or Umuahia,” one of the passengers said. At the time of filing this report, it was not yet clear if security operatives in Imo State had arrived at the scene. The axis (between Okigwe and Ezinnachi) of late has become a hotbed. It was observed, however, that about two security checkpoints around the area between Ezinnachi junction and Okigwe junction had been dismantled. A new security checkpoint has been mounted a few metres after the Okigwe Roundabout, right at a busy area, leaving a large uninhabited stretch of the dual-carriage highway unpoliced. Details later…. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday