Long-distance truck travel across Nigeria remains a grim reality for millions. Passengers routinely ride atop heavy-duty vehicles packed with livestock, grain, and metal goods.
The practice stretches from Port Harcourt to Sokoto and beyond. In southern Nigeria, locals call it "waju." Northerners know it as "a-hangi-biri"—literally, "look at a monkey"—because of how riders perch precariously on trailers.
Drivers stop frequently along highways to load more passengers and cargo. Safety concerns barely factor into these decisions.
Deaths occur regularly. Passengers tumble from moving vehicles without warning.
Tree branches strike unsuspecting riders as trucks barrel forward at dangerous speeds.
A truck conductor recounted a horrifying incident to our reporter. "When we stopped, the driver told me to hurry the passengers along," he explained.
"But when I checked the vehicle, nobody was there. They'd all fallen off while we were moving fast."
He continued: "My boss just started the engine and drove on." No attempt was made to find the missing passengers or render assistance.
Cargo itself becomes deadly when accidents occur. Last weekend, 14 people travelling on a trailer full of oranges died when the fruit crashed down on them.
It happened along Bwari Road in the Federal Capital Territory.
Why persist with such danger? Economic desperation drives the choice.
Labourers from northern Nigeria migrate south seeking work and income. They return home the same way—aboard these precarious trucks.
The journey can stretch three days if breakdowns happen.
Even workers who've earned money still choose roof-riding. Why not take safer buses?
Cost remains the barrier.
This isn't a new phenomenon. The practice existed long before Nigeria's current cost of living crisis.
Rising fuel prices have only made it worse, pushing more people toward cheaper options.
Our team visited Isheri Kara, a major loading point between Lagos and Ogun states. Trucks packed with humans, animals, and goods lined the area.
Drivers pause here to find additional cargo and squeeze in more passengers.
Muhammadu Nasir sells carrots in Lagos. He's from Sokoto State and knows the truck routes well.
Six months of business haven't left him with much savings, he told reporters.
The cost of living in Nigeria has crushed his ability to afford regular transportation. "I haven't saved enough money," he said simply.
For workers like Nasir, the maths is brutal: safer travel costs far more than riding free atop a trailer.
Transportation fares have skyrocketed across the country. Commercial bus operators charge premium prices for long routes.
Ordinary Nigerians earning meagre wages can't afford them.
So they climb onto trailers instead. They accept the risks because survival feels more urgent than safety.
Officials have done little to address this crisis. No enforcement stops these dangerous loading practices.
No alternatives exist for the poor.
The trailers keep moving north and south. Bodies keep falling.
Goods keep crushing passengers. And tomorrow, more workers will climb aboard.
