By Rosemary Caleb
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Members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers NURTW on Sunday staged a protest in Jos, the Plateau State Capital condemning the killing of northern truck drivers by suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra in the South-East.
The protest saw drivers carrying placards with inscriptions such as “End the carnage now” Enough is Enough “
The State Coordinator of Heavy Trucks, Plateau State Council, Janedu Ahamad Zaki,who spoke during the demonstration alleged that for the past eight years, truck drivers from the north have been subjected to attacks by IPOB describing such as “senseless and barbaric.”
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“For the past eight years, truck drivers from northern Nigeria have been consistently targeted, killed, and had their trucks destroyed or burnt while transporting goods to the South-East. We are still trying to understand what offense we have committed to deserve this kind of barbaric killing,”
Zaki claimed that over 50 drivers had lost their lives, while hundreds of trucks carrying goods such as cattle, grains, and perishable items had been set ablaze or looted.
“Between January and December 2024 alone, in communities such as Ihube, Okigwe, and Isuochi in Imo State, more than 20 drivers were brutally killed, and their trucks either burned or damaged. Some bodies were recovered, while others remain missing,”
According to him,a recent attack on January 28, 2025, claimed the lives of four drivers — Haruna Jibril, Bala Muhammad, Dalladi Jafaru, and Auwal Muhammad . They were ambushed between Lokpanta in Imo State and Umuahia in Abia State while transporting tomatoes to Port Harcourt. All four were killed, and their trucks vandalised by the attackers.
“The perpetrators, after unloading the tomatoes, filmed the empty truck and sent the videos to us to confirm that they had killed the victims. When we called them to release the bodies, they told us to forget about them,”
He said
“Despite continued reports of these incidents to various security agencies, including the police and military, no concrete actions have been taken to address the issue,”
“Just yesterday, suspected 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. These sad incidents continue unabated without any serious move to stop them,
The protesters called on President Bola Tinubu, the National Security Adviser, and other Security Chiefs , to take immediate action adding “As Nigerian citizens, we believe we have the right to move freely and engage in legitimate businesses without fear of persecution. This level of brutality and disregard for human life is unacceptable, and we demand justice for our members,” Zaki said
The protesters warned that if the attacks continued, truck drivers would have no other option but to suspend the transportation of goods to the Southeast.
