Transport workers in Niger State have protested against escalating attacks on motorists along the Mokwa–New Bussa–Babanna axis, alleging that six commercial drivers were killed while 17 others were abducted within one month.
The state Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Road Transport Workers, Abubakar Musa Bala, disclosed the figures while speaking on the security situation affecting motorists plying the route.
Bala, who spoke through the union’s Treasurer, Alhaji Danladi Abdullahi, said the rising attacks prompted drivers in Mokwa to embark on a protest.
The demonstrators reportedly barricaded the Mokwa–Lagos Highway and the Mokwa–New Bussa–Babanna road, bringing traffic on the routes to a standstill for two days.
Abdullahi said the protest was organised by the affected drivers without the authorisation of the NURTW leadership.
He explained that the union later stepped in, alongside security agencies, to calm the situation and restore normal movement.
According to him, the protest started on Sunday and continued into the following day before the immediate crisis was resolved.
He said the drivers subsequently shut motor parks across Mokwa on Tuesday as part of efforts to draw attention to the security challenges confronting them.
The NURTW official added that the action attracted operators of articulated vehicles, who joined commercial bus and taxi drivers in expressing their concerns.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Niger State Police Command, SP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the development.
Abiodun said the command would strengthen security operations along the affected routes, including the deployment of personnel for daily patrols to protect motorists and other road users.