Two drivers lost their lives after suspected gunmen attacked the transporters on their way to deliver goods, setting their trucks ablaze at Okigwe Local Government Area of Imo State.
The attack, which has left residents in fear for their lives and safety, was reportedly carried out by suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
As gathered, the gunmen, after shooting the duo to death, opened fire on the truck, which was fully loaded with garri, causing the heavy-duty vehicle to burn to ashes along with the bodies.
The attack happened at Ogi Junction in Okigwe LGA on Saturday, with officials of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the state reporting that the incident took place around 10:30 a.m.
The NURTW chairman in Okigwe, Dahiru Musa, verified the attack and noted that local security forces, including the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Okigwe, were quickly informed.
“Suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) barricaded the road and opened fire. They burned the truck, which was fully loaded with garri, along with the bodies of the drivers,” Musa said.
He further explained that soldiers and police arrived at the scene after the report and helped recover the bodies.
“The police and I took the corpses to the hospital. We offered funeral prayers and buried them on Monday,” he added.
In a separate statement, a spokesperson for the NURTW Heavy Truck Unit at Laranto Motor Park in Jos, Mahmud Jafaru, named the deceased as Haruna Muhammad and Adamu Ibrahim.
He revealed that the drivers were transporting garri from Ayangade to Port Harcourt when the gunmen attacked.
“The killing of drivers from the North is becoming rampant. They are treated as if their lives don’t matter. Until a driver from the North reaches Port Harcourt, he lives in constant fear. The authorities appear indifferent,” Jafaru lamented.
He called on the government to take firm action, pointing to numerous cases where trucks worth millions of naira were destroyed and drivers were killed.
When reached for comment by The Guild, the spokesperson for the Imo State Police Command, Henry Okoye, did not respond to text messages.
