The border between Taraba and Benue states on Monday were blocked by truck drivers following illegal extortion and illegal checkpoints by security operatives on transported food items and passengers.
Chairman of the truck drivers, Wukari Branch, Wunuken Hosea, explained that the extortion on the Benue axis of the boundary is contributing to the high cost of grains across the country.
In his words: “Despite dialogues with security operatives and revenue collectors on agricultural produce, the trend has continued unabated with a huge increase in the amount demanded from us.”
Hosea pointed out that there is no going back on the blockade until the relevant authorities address their challenges.
The protest resulted in gridlock on the Taraba and Benue boundary which leads to the South-Eastern and western parts of Nigeria.
It was gathered that this is not the first time that truck drivers are embarking on such protest at the same spot with little or no effort to address their plights.
