Two truck drivers have been killed during an attack by unknown gunmen at Ogi Junction in Okigwe Local Government Area of Imo state.
Officials of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Imo State chapter, who confirmed the attack, said it happened over the weekend.
NURTW’s chairman in Okigwe, Dahiru Musa, said the gunmen burnt the truck, which was fully loaded with gari, and the corpses.
According to the chairman, shortly after the incident, he reported it to the security forces, including soldiers and police.
“The soldiers and DPO of Okigwe have visited the scene of the incident.The police and I evacuated the bodies to a hospital, and on Monday, we offered them funeral prayers and buried them,” he said.
Speaking further on the development, the spokesperson of NURTW Heavy Truck, Laranto Motor Park, Jos, Mahmud Jafaru, said the truck was heading for Port Harcourt when the perpetrators launched the attack. He gave the names of the drivers as Haruna Muhammad and Adamu Ibrahim.
“The drivers loaded gari from Ayangade to Port Harcourt when the gunmen killed them in broad daylight. This is one too many. Drivers from the North have become valued less than human beings.
They are killed at will. As long as you are a driver from the North, you don’t have rest of mind until you get to Port Harcourt, and the government and security forces seem to do nothing about it”he said
Jafaru, however, called on the government to take necessary action to address the problem, as they have lost countless drivers and trucks worth millions of naira have been destroyed.
The state police command is yet to comment on the development.
