National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) Heavy Trucks
Plateau State Council has raised the alarm of the killing of 50 truck drivers, with many still missing and their trucks burnt or forcefully taken away while transporting goods to South Eastern Nigeria.
The state coordinator Alhaji Janedu Zaki made the disclosure while addressing newsmen in Jos at the weekend.
According to him, for the past eight years, truck drivers from Northern Nigeria have been consistently targeted and killed in the course of discharging their lawful duties, adding that they are still trying to understand what offence they have committed to deserve this barbaric killing.
Zaki alleged that between January and December 2024 alone, in communities of Ihube Okigwe, Isiochi area of Imo State, more than 20 drivers were brutally killed. He added that some of the victim’s corpses were recovered while many others are still missing.
The coordinator further stated that on the 28th of January 2025, Four drivers, including Haruna Jibril, Bala Mohammed , Danladi Jafaru and Auwal Mohammed, carrying tomatoes to Porthacourt were attacked between Lopanta community in Imo State and Umuahia in Abia state, adding that all the Four drivers were killed and good in their trucks uploaded and carted away.
“The perpetrators, after uploading the tomatoes, filmed the empty trucks and sent the videos to us to confirm that they had killed the victims. When we called them on phone to release the bodies of the victims, they told us that we should forget about them.”
He further stressed, ” Soon after the recent incident, we reported to the Police Area Command in Okigwe, DSS thereafter. We also reported the incident to the Military camp and Police headquarters in Imo State . Up till this moment, we did not know the whereabouts of their corpses and the trucks.”
NURTW also alleged that IPOB members in the Four Corner community of
Nkanu West LGA of Enugu State, opened fire on a truck carrying perishable items
heading to Port Harcourt. Luckily, the driver and his assistants survived the attack stressing that these sad incidents continue unabated without any serious move to stop them.
“The most dangerous axis within the region includes Enugu to Lopanta, Lopanta
to Okigwe, and Okigwe to Umuahia in Abia State. Our lives are always in danger
when we reach these points. The fear of being attacked and killed is always palpable, making it difficult for us to carry out our lawful business without anxiety.”
According to the union, the destruction of trucks and property worth billions of naira has caused
economic hardship and instilled fear among their members, making it difficult for them to carry out their lawful businesses within the five states of the region.
The coordinator also wondered that despite continued reports of these incidents to various security agencies, including the police and military, no concrete actions have been taken to address this issue as the perpetrators continue to descend on their members and their trucks
at will.
“As Nigerian citizens, we believe we have the right to move freely and engage in
legitimate businesses without fear of persecution. We urge the federal government,
particularly President Bola Tinubu, the National Security Adviser, Chief of
Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff, and Inspector General of Police, to take drastic measures to put an end to these senseless killings and destruction”.
NURTW further demanded that federal and state governments conduct a thorough investigation to identify those responsible for these heinous crimes and prosecute them to the
fullest extent of the law.
