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Thick black smoke and burning tyres greeted the dawn at Buruku river crossing this morning as hundreds of angry maritime workers and boat operators and members of the Tombo Marine Time Workers Union of Nigeria shut down the strategic waterway in protest.
The demonstration erupted after thieves made away with two brand-new 40-horsepower Yamaha outboard engines in a midnight raid on the river bank last night. The engines, valued at several millions of naira, belonged to members who had pooled resources to buy them just weeks ago.
By 6 a.m., no canoe or ferry was allowed to cross the River Katsina-Ala. Operators blocked the landing point with their boats, lit bonfires on the sand, and vowed not to resume work until the engines are recovered and the thieves are arrested.
“This is how we feed our families. They have stolen our livelihood,” one of the protesters shouted as tyres burned behind him. “If government and security cannot protect us here, we will protect ourselves.”
Buruku crossing is a vital link between southern Benue and parts of Taraba State, with hundreds of passengers and tonnes of goods—especially yams, fish, and firewood—moving daily. Traders arriving from Wannune, Zaki-Biam, and Adikpo were stranded for hours, while vehicles queued on both sides of the river.
Local youth leaders and union officials say the theft is the latest in a string of attacks on boat operators, with over fifteen engines stolen in the last six months alone. They accuse security agencies of doing little despite repeated reports.
As at the time of filing this report, a heavy contingent of police and civil defence personnel has been deployed to the scene, but the protesters insist they will not reopen the crossing until the Benue State Government and the police command give concrete assurances and immediate action.
For now, one of Benue’s busiest river ports remains grounded, travellers are stranded, and the acrid smell of burning rubber hangs over Buruku waters—a stark reminder that even on the river, insecurity has become the new normal.
