‘We could’ve been killed’: Passengers relive fear as Borno Express bus gone wrong

What began as an ordinary road trip from Maiduguri to Yola turned into a nightmarish journey of fear, hunger, and uncertainty for passengers of a Borno Express Transport Company bus that broke down multiple times before leaving them stranded overnight in Malam Sidi, Gombe State.

Among the passengers were University of Maiduguri students, traders, and a 70-year-old man who had just been discharged from the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) after a surgical operation.

The ill-fated journey began at 7:10 a.m. on Sunday, October 26, from the Borno Express motor park in Maiduguri, with passengers hoping to reach Yola by early afternoon.

However, the trip soon turned into a test of endurance.

Barely a few kilometres from Potiskum, the Hummer bus developed its first fault, forcing passengers to wait by the roadside for more than two hours before a mechanic arrived.

“We thought it was just a minor problem,” recalled Mr. Dahiru Umar, one of the passengers who later lodged a formal complaint.

“But after we got to Potiskum, the same issue happened again, and we waited for another hour or two without any clear explanation.”

By afternoon, the vehicle resumed the trip, only to break down again near Bajoga, in Funakaye Local Government Area of Gombe State.

The driver repeatedly assured the weary passengers that help was on the way, but by 6 p.m., the bus came to a complete stop at Malam Sidi, where fatigue, hunger, and frustration set in.

“We were stranded in the bush with no food and no shelter,” Umar said.

“The driver kept promising that another bus was coming, but none arrived for hours.”

It was not until 11 p.m. that another Hummer bus showed up.

The stranded driver reportedly negotiated with its driver to convey the passengers to Yola for ₦100,000, to be paid via a POS transfer.

But as the passengers waited for confirmation of payment, the Borno Express driver disappeared into the night.

“He vanished and stopped answering our calls,” Umar said.

“We were left stranded again, with our luggage trapped in another bus that refused to move without payment.”

With no alternative, the replacement driver agreed to take only the elderly and the ailing passenger to Gombe, leaving the rest — mostly students — behind.

Desperate and exhausted, the remaining passengers managed to stop a passing trailer around midnight.

The driver agreed to take them to Gombe, where they were dropped near a police checkpoint.

“The police officers were kind and tried to help us find another vehicle,” Umar recounted.

“At 4 a.m., a Sharon bus heading to Yola stopped, and the driver, out of compassion, agreed to carry us for ₦5,000 each instead of the usual ₦7,000.”

After nearly 26 hours of hardship, the passengers finally arrived in Yola at about 9:28 a.m. on Monday, hungry, exhausted, and furious.

In his petition, Umar called for disciplinary action against the driver, a refund of part of the fare, and a public apology from Borno Express.

He accused the driver of gross negligence and reckless conduct that endangered the lives of passengers.

“Given the security risks on the Maiduguri–Yola highway, his actions were irresponsible and inhumane,” Umar said.

“We survived only by God’s grace — no one should ever have to experience what we went through that night.”