Two truck drivers were killed and their vehicle burnt in a violent attack at Ogi Junction, Okigwe Local Government Area of Imo State over the weekend.
The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Imo State chapter, confirmed the attack. Dahiru Musa, the NURTW chairman in Okigwe, said the attackers also burnt the bodies of the drivers along with the truck.
The truck, carrying a full load of gari, was traveling to Port Harcourt when the gunmen ambushed it in broad daylight.
Musa informed security agencies immediately. Both the Nigerian Army and Nigeria Police Force responded to the scene. The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Okigwe and soldiers visited the site, and the victims’ remains were taken to a hospital before burial on Monday.
Mahmud Jafaru, spokesperson for the NURTW Heavy Truck division at Laranto Motor Park in Jos, named the victims as Haruna Muhammad and Adamu Ibrahim. He said the truck left Ayangade before the attack.
Jafaru expressed deep concern over the rising attacks on northern truck drivers traveling through the South. “Northern drivers are being slaughtered like they’re worth nothing,” he said. “Once you’re a northern driver going to Port Harcourt, you can’t rest easy. We have lost many men and trucks worth millions. The authorities seem helpless.”
He called on the federal and state governments and security agencies to act quickly to protect truck drivers from these attacks.
As of now, the Imo State Police Command has not made any official comment on the incident.
