Hoodlums attack truck driver in Imo, set vehicle ablaze

Hoodlums wielding cutlasses have attacked a truck driver, Dallami Yunusa, at Ogi Junction in Okigwe Local Government Area of Imo State, leaving him injured and setting his vehicle ablaze.

The Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Heavy Truck Unit in Okigwe, Dahiru Musa Raza, confirmed the incident to Daily Trust on Sunday.

The attack occurred barely two months after two drivers were killed and a truck loaded with garri was burnt in a similar incident at the same location while heading to Port Harcourt.

Raza narrated that the latest incident happened on Tuesday after Yunusa’s truck developed a mechanical fault. According to him, the driver went into town to get a mechanic, and while repairs were ongoing, two men arrived on a motorcycle, armed with dangerous weapons.

“The mechanic and the two assistant drivers managed to flee, but the attackers went after the driver, inflicting serious injuries on him. Thinking he was dead, they set the truck on fire and fled,” he said.

Raza said he immediately alerted military personnel in Okigwe, who rushed to the scene, discovered the driver was still alive, and took him to hospital. The following day, Yunusa was moved to Dala Orthopedic Hospital in Kano, where he is receiving treatment.

He added that the matter had been reported to the police in Okigwe.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the Imo State Police Command, Henry Okoye, said he had not yet been briefed on the incident but would reach out to the Divisional Police Officer in the area for details.