Ghana-Bound Trucks Carrying Vegetables Held in Nigeria
- Armed men blocked several Ghana-bound vegetable trucks in Kebbi State, Nigeria, escalating trade tensions
- The truck drivers who are transporting the vegetables to the Ghanaian market claimed they have been stranded for three days
- They called on the government, particularly the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to intervene to save their perishable goods
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Several trucks transporting vegetables, including onions, to Ghana have been blocked and detained by suspected armed men in Samia, a small town in Kebbi State, Nigeria.
This development has raised concerns over cross-border trade, perishable goods, and potential supply disruptions in Ghanaian markets.
Source: Facebook
According to Accra-based Citi FM, the armed men blocked the trucks carrying the vegetables due to tensions between traders in both countries.
It is reported that some Nigerian onion traders in Accra were not allowed to offload their goods by certain Ghanaian traders.
The armed men are said to be retaliating by taking similar action against Ghanaian transporters.
The stranded trucks are carrying perishable goods, mainly onions, which risk going bad if the situation persists.
One of the drivers, Awudu Tiajni, told Citi FM that they had been held in the Samia for three days. He pleaded with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to come to their aid.
"We’ve been locked here for almost three days. Our goods are perishing. We are appealing to the government for help."
Reason for the detention
The drivers buy the vegetables from Galimi, a farming community in the Republic of Niger and transport them through Nigeria, into Benin, to Togo and finally to Ghana.
According to Alhaji Fuseini Atiiga, an onion trader in Accra, the tensions started due to disagreements between Nigerian traders and farmers over the distribution of trucks from Nigeria to Ghana.
He indicated further that about 52 trucks arrive in the country and are distributed among associations. However, a majority of the vegetables go to a particular association, which the Nigerian traders do not support.
Source: YEN.com.gh
