The attack highlights the spread of Fulani militant kidnappings into Nigeria’s southeast and growing insecurity along federal highways.
By Ebere Inyama
IMO STATE, Nigeria — A four‑month‑old baby was among seven Christians abducted by armed Fulani militants in southeastern Nigeria, where survivors say they were held for three days without food or water, beaten with machetes and sticks, and forced to sleep on forest grass in the rain until relatives paid a ₦7 million ($5,000) ransom. The victims, including a couple and their infant, were seized on August 9 while inspecting a real‑estate property in Ndegwu community, Owerri‑West, by gunmen wearing military uniforms and carrying AK‑47 rifles. Ten days after their release, police have issued no public statement, fueling concerns about expanding Fulani militia operations and worsening security across the region.
In a video shared online by a Human Rights Activist, Mr. Chinonso Uba, on 17 August, 2026, the eye witness who identified himself as Chimezie Aladoro, disclosed that the terrorists abducted him and the other victims while they were inspecting a real estate property in Ndegwu. He spoke in Igbo language.
Aladoro said the gunmen emerged from the bush wearing military uniforms and carrying AK‑47 rifles.
“They fired gunshots in the air and ordered us to lie down after which they tied our hands behind our backs,” he said.
He said the group—including his brother, his wife, and their four‑month‑old baby—was forced to trek for hours.
“We slept on the grass without any shelter while they lay on mats and used umbrellas to cover their bodies from the rain,” Aladoro said.
The militants beat them with machetes and sticks and demanded ₦50 million ($35, 800) from the Imo natives and ₦20 million ($14,300) from the two men from Rivers State.
“They gave us no food or water for three days,” Aladoro said. “They drank from puddles and used it to cook rice and spaghetti.”
He said the captors released them only after relatives delivered ₦7 million ($5,000) in cash, along with milk, malt drinks, and sack bags.
No official statement from the police
Ten days after Aladoro and his fellow victims were released by the terrorists, the Nigerian police have yet to issue an official statement over the incident.
The Imo state Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Henry Okoye, neither answered phone calls nor responded to a message sent to his phone by TruthNigeria reporter .
“The silence of the Imo state police command over the incident raises questions about the seriousness of the Imo state government in combating kidnapping and terrorism in the state”, said a resident of Ndegwu community, Mr. Bright Onwuatuegwu, to TruthNigeria.
“The vigilante (community guards) in Ndegwu are under – staffed and they often complain that the weapons provided for them are not sufficient to be used in confronting the Fulani militia who use Ak7 rifles”, Onwuatuegwu added.
Terrorists expanding operations to the federal highways
In the southeast, attacks on Christians by the Fulani Ethnic Militia often take place in remote farming communities but in recent times, the terrorists seem to have expanded the scope of their operations by targeting travellers on the highway leading from Enugu state to Benue state.
On the night of 13 August, 2026, heavily armed Fulani terrorists ambushed a commercial passenger bus travelling from Enugu State toward Abuja, abducting 14 passengers along Ankpechi–Omutele in Ohimini county, situated close to the border between Enugu state and Benue state.
In a press statement on 14 August 2026, the Benue state police command confirmed the incident but failed to disclose the names of the victims.
The incident highlights a long-standing security challenge on this particular highway network.
In August, 2024, well-armed Fulani-tribe kidnappers abducted 20 Catholic Medical Students and one House Officer along Otukpo-Enugu Road, according to a report by TruthNigeria.
Earlier in January, 2024, armed assailants suspected to be of the Fulani tribe reportedly intercepted three fully loaded 15-seater commercial buses along the Ogbadibo county of Benue State, located at the boundary between Enugu and Benue and abducted 45 travellers.
