ARMED hoodlums wielding cutlasses have attacked a truck driver, Dallami Yunusa, at Ogi Junction in Okigwe Local Government Area of Imo State, inflicting serious injuries before setting his vehicle on fire.
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 happened on Tuesday, barely two months after two truck drivers were killed and a vehicle loaded with garri was burnt in a similar incident at the same location.
Raza said Yunusa’s truck developed a mechanical fault, prompting him to go into town to get a mechanic.
While repairs were underway, two men on a motorcycle arrived, brandishing cutlasses.
“The mechanic and the assistant drivers fled, but the attackers went after Yunusa, wounding him severely.
“Thinking he was dead, they set the truck ablaze and fled,” Raza recounted.
Military personnel in Okigwe rushed to the scene after being alerted and found the driver alive.
He was taken to hospital and later transferred to Dala Orthopedic Hospital in Kano for further treatment.
The incident has been reported to the police, although Imo State Police Command spokesperson Henry Okoye said he was yet to be briefed and would contact the Divisional Police Officer in Okigwe for details.
