Suspected armed men in Samia, a small town in Kebbi State, Nigeria, have allegedly blocked and detained several Ghanaian trucks transporting vegetables from Niger through Nigeria to Ghana.

According to reports, the incident is linked to tensions between traders in both countries. Some Nigerian onion traders in Accra allegedly had their goods prevented from being offloaded 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.

The drivers usually buy their goods from Galimi, a farming community in the Republic of Niger and transport it through Nigeria, into Benin and to Togo and finally to Ghana.

The drivers, who have reportedly been held for nearly three days, are appealing to the Ghanaian government particularly the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to intervene.

Speaking to Citi News, one of the drivers, Awudu Tiajni lamented, “We’ve been locked here for almost three days. Our goods are perishing. We are appealing to the government for help.”

Alhaji Fuseini Atiiga, an onion trader in Accra, told Citi News in an interview on Sunday, April 5, that the tensions also stem from disagreements between Nigerian traders and farmers over the distribution model of trucks from Nigeria to Ghana.

He explained that in Accra, about 52 trucks are brought in and distributed among associations. However, he said the majority go to a particular association, which the Nigerian traders oppose.