BY BUKAR ALIBE, 27 OCTOBER, 2026 | 08:40pm
UMBS/25/11/088009, University of Maiduguri, Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, Department of Mass Communication.
MAIDUGURI/DAMATURU — Calls are growing for the governments of Borno and Yobe states to urgently review restrictions on night travel along major roads, particularly the Maiduguri-Damaturu route, as improving security in some areas raises hopes for the safe resumption of night journeys.
The continued restriction of night travel has affected transportation, trade and other economic activities in the two states. Drivers, passengers, traders and business owners are urging the authorities to take decisive action to address the challenges and restore safer, more convenient movement of people and goods.
For years, security concerns linked to insurgency have forced transport operators to limit their journeys to daytime hours.
While the restrictions were introduced to protect lives, they have increased travel time hitherto starting from eight o’clock in the morning to end by four in the afternoon but now relax to six in the evening and transport fare reduces the number of trips drivers can make daily and disrupted the movement of goods between Maiduguri, Damaturu and other communities.
Commercial drivers and transport workers opined that the restrictions have reduced their daily earnings, while passengers face long delays and additional expenses.
Traders also complain that transporting food, livestock, agricultural produce and other goods has become more difficult and costly, with the extra expenses sometimes passed on to consumers through higher prices.
Against this backdrop, stakeholders are calling on the governments of Borno and Yobe to urgently convene meetings with security agencies, transport unions and community leaders to assess the security situation along affected routes and establish a clear plan for reopening night travel where conditions permit.
They insist that the authorities should move beyond general assurances of improved security and provide concrete measures, including increased patrols, effective road surveillance, emergency response services and timely public information on safe routes.
They also want the governments to announce clear guidelines and a timetable for reviewing the restrictions, rather than allowing the current situation to continue without a clear plan for relief.
Business experts said a safe resumption of night journeys would help reduce transport costs, increase the number of daily trips, improve the movement of goods and strengthen economic recovery across the two states.
They warned that continued restrictions, where security conditions allow some relaxation, could further burden transport operators, traders and ordinary residents already struggling with rising living costs.
However, security experts caution that reopening the roads must be guided by credible intelligence and route-by-route security assessments. They stressed that the protection of travellers must remain the priority and that no route should be cleared for night journeys without adequate security arrangements.
The authorities in Borno and Yobe must therefore treat the issue as an urgent economic and public welfare concern.
The state governments, in collaboration with the police, military and other relevant agencies, should provide regular updates on security conditions, explain the reasons for maintaining restrictions where necessary and identify routes where a gradual, closely monitored resumption of night travel is possible.
Stakeholders were of the view that the time has come for the authorities to take clear, practical and measurable steps towards easing the restrictions wherever security permits.
They maintain that residents should not continue to bear unnecessary transportation costs and economic hardship without a transparent review of the existing measures.
While security must not be compromised, the governments are being urged to strike a careful balance between protecting lives and restoring economic activity, with regular consultations and public accountability guiding every decision on the resumption of night travel.