Maiduguri, Borno State — Suspected Boko Haram and Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) insurgents have intercepted another fleet of trucks transporting foodstuffs to Maiduguri, further heightening security concerns along key supply routes in Borno State.
The incident, according to Daily Trust, occurred on Saturday along the Monguno–Guzamala axis, specifically between Burmari and Garin Kashim villages in Guzamala Local Government Area.
Sources disclosed that the attackers blocked two articulated trailers and three dump trucks conveying bags of beans to Maiduguri. The insurgents reportedly set the trailer heads ablaze before fleeing into nearby bushes.
One of the drivers said he abandoned his vehicle and escaped into the bush when the attack began. He added that the assailants were believed to be the same group responsible for a similar attack on trucks transporting maize and building materials along the same route about five days earlier.
Another eyewitness said the attackers first deflated the tyres of the vehicles before setting them on fire. He noted that members of the local community intervened to extinguish the flames before they spread to the trailer bodies, enabling the drivers to escape without injury.
Drivers and transporters operating along the route lamented the absence of security patrols, noting that unlike other volatile roads in the state, soldiers are not strategically deployed along the axis. They warned that the continued lack of security has exposed commercial vehicles to repeated attacks.
As a result, several truck owners have reportedly withdrawn their vehicles from the route, raising fears of possible food supply disruptions to Maiduguri.
A security source disclosed that the insurgents are deliberately targeting commercial vehicles in an attempt to frustrate government efforts to resettle communities along the corridor.
Spatula Newspaper will continue to monitor developments in the area.
Margaret ABAH
