3rd December, 2021
By Jethro Ibileke
Commercial drivers plying the Benin-Auchi expressway on Thursday blocked Ugha community section of the road with their vehicles, in protest against the abduction of one of their colleagues on Wednesday.
The development left hundreds of road users stranded for many hours, as the drivers insisted on not leaving until the victim is rescued.
One of the drivers who did not want to be mentioned in the press, said that they decided to block the road to draw the attention of the authorities to their plight.
He lamented that they are constantly being abducted by gunmen on the route.
He said: “One of our drivers was kidnapped on Wednesday and we have reported to the police and nothing is being done to search for him. Another one was kidnapped several months ago and we are afraid he may have died as he is yet to be found.
“We are not leaving here until the government do something about it. We brought with us seven bags of rice, pots and other ingredients to cook. That is how serious we are,” the driver added.
A passenger, Collins Aghedo, who was travelling to Abuja, stated that the passengers have been stranded for hours as the drivers were bent on drawing the attention of the authorities to their plight.
“It has been very tough since morning, getting stuck in a place without knowing what will happen is a harrowing experience. We hope that everything will be done by the police to come to our rescue,” he added.
The Spokesman of the Edo State Police Command, SP Kontongs Bello, who confirmed the incident, said the police were at the venue of the protest to pacify the driver after which their men continued the bush-combing which started on Wednesday.