Hardship: Northerners turn to cargo trucks for cheaper journeys despite risks

In Potiskum, Yobe State, travellers are boarding cargo trucks despite Dangote Industries’ ban on unauthorised passengers because conventional transport has become unaffordable. A bus trip from Potiskum to Lagos now costs about 35,000 naira, compared with 5,000 to 10,000 naira negotiated for a place on a truck. Fuel prices, which in September 2026 reached around 1,400 naira per litre of petrol in some areas and more than 2,000 naira per litre of diesel, have added to transport costs. Baba Iyatu is travelling to Niger State to see her daughter who has just given birth, while 24-year-old Adamu Hamisu is heading to Lagos in search of job opportunities.