Suspected Boko Haram insurgents set ablaze three trucks carrying fish in the Mile-Forty area of Magumeri Local Government Area, Borno State, destroying significant property but leaving the drivers unharmed.
The vehicles, including two Peugeot J5 vans and a school bus loaded with fish, were intercepted by the terrorists while en route to Maiduguri.
It was gathered that the truck drivers managed to escape unharmed, but all three vehicles were burnt down to ashes.
One of the drivers, who requested anonymity, recounted the ordeal “We parked the vehicles and ran into the bush. I watched helplessly as my only means of livelihood was reduced to ashes. The government must act to secure that road.”
He noted that Boko Haram, which previously focused on abductions and ransom demands, has increasingly shifted to looting and burning vehicles. The driver urged federal authorities and security agencies to deploy troops along the route to protect lives and property.
He also highlighted that checkpoints are sparse, with the nearest military presence at Gajaganna, Gajiram, Mairari, and Monguno, leaving large stretches of the road vulnerable to attacks.
This incident follows a pattern of similar attacks in the region. On February 10, four trailers carrying cattle from Monguno to Maiduguri were ambushed, with over 100 cows stolen and the vehicles set ablaze. Earlier, four trucks transporting beans were destroyed at Garin Kashim, Guzamala LGA.
Truck owners and drivers warned that continued insecurity could collapse the local livestock and grain trade.
“Unless the government fortifies this road as has been done on the Gwoza axis, many of us will withdraw our vehicles entirely,” a driver said, emphasising the urgent need for strategic military deployment along the corridor.
