JUST IN: Trucks Trapped, Passengers Stranded as Soldiers Block Imo River Border

On Friday, numerous trucks, petroleum tankers, and vehicles were stranded along the Oyigbo axis of the Port Harcourt-Aba Expressway in Rivers State. This disruption resulted from security operatives blocking the Imo River border between Rivers and Imo states due to the Biafra Day sit-at-home order.

The blockade followed the killing of several soldiers by suspected members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in Abia State, who were enforcing the sit-at-home directive.

Hundreds of passengers, including pregnant women, found themselves stranded as soldiers restricted movement into neighboring Abia State. A confidential source remarked, “People traveling, look at pregnant women also here because of what they said happened in Aba.”

The disruption was attributed to sporadic shootings early Thursday morning by suspected IPOB members at the Oyigbo roundabout and Kom-kom community in Oyigbo LGA, Rivers State. Vehicles transporting passengers and goods to various parts of the Southeast were stuck in a long queue along the Abia-Rivers border.

Drivers reported being stationary from Thursday due to the barricade, with one driver stating, “Heavily armed Army men blocked the Imo River and the border between Abia and Rivers State. So no movement because of what is happening in Abia State. We have been like this since Friday morning.”

Another truck driver, identified as Ikechukwu, shared their plight: “We slept on the road from Thursday evening till Friday. You can see that soldiers have blocked this Imo gate here. So there is no road, and we have been here without food. Let the government come to our aid because there is already serious hardship in this country.”

Contrary to reports of unrest, residents of Oyigbo town denied any incidents of shooting, describing the area as peaceful. An anonymous resident confirmed, “I’m living in Oyigbo here, and there is nothing like gunshots. Where there is a problem is in Abia State after the fracas on Thursday. But the information we are getting now is that soldiers have blocked the expressway; cars and trucks cannot move. But Oyigbo is calm.”