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Enugu-Onitsha Expressway kidnapping: gunmen seized commuters near New Spare Parts by Owa Express on Feb 7, 2026 in front Police Checkpoint.

Panic spread along the Enugu–Onitsha Expressway on the evening of February 7, 2026, after gunmen reportedly kidnapped passengers near the New Spare Parts area by Owa Express, just before MOPU Junction.

Eyewitnesses said the attack happened around 6:00–6:30 PM, during a busy stretch when traders and commuters were returning home. 

Several vehicles were intercepted and some passengers were forced into nearby bushes, the witnesses said.

One survivor described a chaotic scene: motorists abandoned cars and fled on foot as the attackers moved through the road. 

The witness told reporters the abduction took place despite a Highway Safe Road Police Squad checkpoint not far from the spot.

The New Spare Parts zone is a key transit point connecting Onitsha’s markets with Enugu. Locals say the corridor has long been vulnerable to criminal gangs, and residents blame an apparent failure by security forces to keep the route safe.

Commuters and traders have reacted with anger and fear. “It is terrifying because this happened so early in the evening. We are no longer safe even on major highways,” one commuter wrote on social media.

The abduction is the latest in a series of similar incidents on the expressway, which has seen a rise in kidnapping-for-ransom and bandit attacks in recent months. 

Frequent travellers are calling on the state government and police to increase patrols, especially after sunset along the Owa Express–MOPU axis.

State officials earlier unveiled two surveillance drones said to be capable of detecting suspects in the bush. Locals asked why the technology did not prevent Saturday’s attack and are demanding clearer action plans and visible patrols.

Attempts to reach the Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, were unsuccessful at the time of filing. Calls to his line went unanswered and the police had not issued an official statement.