Some passengers who boarded a Borno Express Hummer bus from Maiduguri to Yola on Sunday have petitioned the Borno State Government, alleging maltreatment and abandonment by the driver during the journey.
In a letter addressed to the General Manager of Borno Express, the Borno State Ministry of Transportation, and the Borno State Traffic Management Agency, one of the affected passengers, Mr. Dahiru Umar, narrated how the incident occurred on October 26, 2025, leaving passengers stranded overnight in Gombe State.
According to the complaint, the bus, which departed Maiduguri at 7:10 a.m., developed mechanical faults several times along the route. The breakdowns reportedly occurred near Potiskum and Bajoga, delaying the journey for several hours.
Umar explained that the passengers, who included students of the University of Maiduguri and an elderly man recently discharged from the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) after surgery, endured hardship as the driver failed to provide adequate assistance.
He stated that the vehicle eventually broke down completely at Malam Sidi, near Gombe, around 6:00 p.m., where passengers were left stranded without food or shelter.
“We waited until 11:00 p.m. when another Hummer bus arrived. The driver promised to pay ₦100,000 to the new driver to convey us to Yola, but he later disappeared after pretending to arrange a transfer through a POS operator,” Umar alleged.
The complainant added that some passengers managed to continue their journey to Gombe through the assistance of a trailer driver, while others, mostly the younger ones, remained behind until early morning when they secured a ride to Yola in a Sharon bus.
The passengers arrived in Yola around 9:28 a.m. on Monday, after nearly 26 hours on the road.
Umar described the experience as “an act of cruelty and irresponsibility,” calling on the Borno State Government and the management of Borno Express to take disciplinary action against the driver.
The petitioners also demanded a refund of their fares and an official apology from the company.
“A decisive action should be taken against the driver to serve as a deterrent to others, and our balance of money should be refunded,” the letter read in part.
As of the time of filing this report, the management of Borno Express and officials of the Borno State Ministry of Transportation were yet to respond to inquiries on the matter.
