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At least 30 travellers were killed in Imo State, southeast Nigeria, when gunmen opened fire and torched vehicles in a brutal highway ambush, Amnesty International reported on Friday. The rights group’s statement has reignited concerns over the persistent instability and violence plaguing the region.
The attackers also set fire to over 20 vehicles and trucks, Amnesty said in a post on X.
Imo State police confirmed that the deadly assault took place in the early hours of Thursday but did not provide an official death toll. Police spokesperson Henry Okoye told Reuters that one of the attackers had been killed during an exchange with security forces.
According to a police statement, the gunmen operated in three separate groups and blocked the highway around 4:00 a.m. GMT. They then fired randomly at passing vehicles before setting many of them ablaze. “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,” the statement read.
The timing of the attack is particularly notable, coinciding with President Bola Tinubu’s visit to the region and occurring in the same week that IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu appeared in court to face terrorism-related charges.
The violence recalls painful memories of the Biafran civil war of the late 1960s, during which more than one million people died. Amnesty International has urged the Nigerian authorities to conduct a thorough investigation and ensure that those responsible are held accountable.
