Commuters in Oyo State were gripped by fear and uncertainty on the evening of 18 April after a violent attack on travellers along the Ibadan–Ijebu Expressway.
The attack was carried out shortly after 7 pm, in what locals describe as yet another worrying escalation of insecurity on the busy route.
Eyewitnesses reported that several passengers were abducted during the attack and that at least one person was killed.
The violence has caused widespread alarm among road users and nearby communities, raising fresh concerns about repeated ambushes by armed groups.
Official casualty and abduction figures have not yet been confirmed, but the scale of the incident has left families distraught as many try to account for relatives who may have been travelling along the route at the time.
Residents have urged the public to urgently verify the whereabouts of any relatives who might have been affected.
The incident fits a pattern of recent attacks on civilians and road users in the state, particularly on isolated highways bordering forested areas.
In March, gunmen reportedly emerged from bushland and abducted four cocoa farmers during a visit to the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria in the Idi‑Ayunre area of Ibadan.
A survivor told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that about six assailants “suddenly appeared from the bush and intercepted our vehicle,” before seizing four occupants and fleeing.
Police confirmed that one of those kidnapped in the March incident was subsequently rescued and the vehicle recovered, the state police public relations officer, DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, said in a message to NAN.
Earlier in January, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde confirmed that five National Park Service forest guard officers were killed in an attack by suspected bandits at the National Park Office in Oloka Village.
In a statement issued on 7 January 2026 the governor described the killings as a criminal attack and mourned the slain officers.
Calls for a stronger security presence and more proactive measures along major highways in Oyo State have intensified in response to the recurring violence.
