Former Presidential Candidate Bishop Prof. Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies Calls on Imo Governor to Strengthen Security on Owerri-Onitsha Route

Remember Kidnap of Scripture Union Members on Same Route

Former female presidential candidate and UN-POLAC Peace Consul, Bishop Prof. Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies, has called on the Executive Governor of Imo State, His Excellency Senator Hope Uzodimma, to urgently strengthen security along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway, particularly around the notorious Umunoha axis in Mbaitoli Local Government Area.

The call follows the abduction of 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members on October 1, 2026, while travelling in two buses from Ibadan, Oyo State, to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states. The victims were intercepted near Umunoha and later rescued safely on October 7, 2026, through a joint operation involving the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Army and Department of State Services (DSS).

Bishop Adesanya-Davies commended the security agencies for their successful rescue of all 20 victims, alongside an additional hostage, from a forest in Amakohia Ubi Village. She also praised the prompt medical evaluation of the rescued victims at the DSS Hospital in Owerri and the subsequent intelligence-led arrest and arraignment of five suspects: Usman Aliyu, Babangida Aliyu, Mohammed Ali, Aminu Haliru and Tange Ibrahim.

The suspects were arraigned before an Imo State High Court on charges of conspiracy, hostage-taking and unlawful possession of AK-47 rifles.

However, she expressed deep concern that the route had become a recurring hotspot for kidnapping, recalling the previous abduction of members of the Scripture Union (SU) along the same Owerri-Onitsha Road. She noted that the incident had traumatised the Christian community and the nation at large.

“We cannot continue to rescue and arraign while the route remains unmanned. The Owerri-Onitsha Expressway is a major economic artery linking the South-West to the South-East and South-South. It must not be surrendered to gunmen demanding ₦1 billion, then ₦100 million. If ₦48 million was collected in this latest case, it means kidnapping is being incentivised,” Bishop Adesanya-Davies stated.

Calls for Stronger Security Measures

She therefore called for the following measures to address insecurity along the route:

1. Immediate and permanent security presence: Deployment of joint military, police and DSS checkpoints, patrol vehicles and surveillance drones from Owerri to the Imo-Anambra border around Umunoha.

2. Bush clearing and street lighting: Clearing of bushes extending 50 metres on both sides of the highway, alongside the installation of solar-powered streetlights and CCTV cameras.

3. State Security Trust Fund intervention: Deployment of the Imo State Security Network with modern communication equipment to improve surveillance and response capabilities.

4. Justice and deterrence: Speedy and transparent prosecution of the five arraigned suspects to serve as a deterrent to other criminal groups.

“We thank God for the safe return of our children. But government must man this route seriously before another set of innocent Nigerians, whether Corps members or Scripture Union members, falls victim again. The lives of Nigerian youths going to serve their nation must be sacrosanct,” she added.

Signed:

Bishop Prof. Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies
Former Presidential Candidate, 2019
UN-POLAC Peace Consul
International Human Rights Advocate

Media Contact:
Office of Bishop Prof. Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies
Port Harcourt, Rivers State