Abuja-Kaduna road drivers share thoughts on route’s security

Habibu Lawal, 20, Driver, Kaduna

Currently there have been security activities along the road from Kaduna to Abuja. This is the third day I am seeing SARS police squad along that road and in the past week theyarrested at least 30 people, so obviously there have been recent developments and the road is a little bit safer compared to weeks ago. If you are driving along that road you will realize that after every a few kilometres there are check points. Furthermore we drivers take precautions as well because these things can happen to anyone. It could be you or me or any other person along that road, therefore we are very careful.

Augustine Aleichenu, 33, Driver, Masaka, Nasarawa State

We make a living driving commercially. With the way the economy is, this issue of kidnapping is tragic. Many passengers are scared of travelling. One of our drivers here at Mabushi was kidnapped for over three weeks. It was when ransom was paid for a rich man that our colleague was also released because he didn’t have the money to pay for his freedom. Our security agencies need to come all out and make that route safe.

Celestine Alexander Chinedu, 36, Driver, Mabushi, Abuja

The only thing we can do is pray. Anytime I am travelling that route I always get apprehensive. I use the road once daily.

Abubakar Yusuf, 38, Driver, Kaduna

I see a lot of things on that road. A driver I know was a victim of kidnapping. He was however later released. We thank God that we see Mobile Police and soldiers on the road now. Kidnapping still takes place, but it has reduced. Unfortunately we now have few passengers. They prefer to take the train to avoid the risk of road travel.

Mohammed Abubakar, 45, Driver, Zuba, Abuja

I have been plying the Abuja-Kaduna route for about 16 years. It is just God that protects us on that road. I usually hear stories about kidnappings, but I have personally not had such experience or witnessed it. I don’t hold negative thoughts while travelling. It is my job to drive and that is it.

Suleiman Umar, 39, Driver, Kaduna

I have been working on that route for about four years. I have not had the experience but have heard stories about it. What is happening on the Abuja-Kaduna road is unfortunate. You move a kilometre or two and see a police van, and yet kidnappings and robberies still take place. I had an experience early this year when I was going to Kaduna from Gwagwalada, where I was flagged down by someone who kept shouting that there were armed robbers on the road. I used another route and saw three armed policemen standing without a police van at about ten o’clock in the night. I wondered what they were doing there without a police vehicle. They were stopping me but I refused to stop. That experience has given me exposure. We are pleading with the government to help out.

Alhaji Abdulkareem Alpha, 63, Driver, Kaduna

I have been travelling on the Abuja-Kaduna road even before it was made a dual carriage road. It’s so sad what is happening. Important people as well as workers, use that road a lot. A lot of my colleagues have had encounters with kidnappers. They stop you and take people out and into the bush. From there you hear that they are making demands for ransom. It is really affecting our source of livelihood because passengers are afraid of using that route.

Shu’aibu NDC, 57, Driver, Kaduna

I have been driving for about twenty-five years. We are happy that there is now a change of government, but we are concerned about what is happening and wonder if the fault is from the government or the people. Right now passengers are afraid of travelling on the Abuja-Kaduna road. Usually, we ask passengers for permission to pray in a mosque while travelling, but now we cannot do that. Even the mosques have a problem now because people are kidnapped when they stop on the road to pray. We are apprehensive. To urinate while travelling is a big risk. We ask our passengers to wait till we get to a town before we stop. We are begging the government to help us take decisive steps.

Shehu B. Muhammed, 48, Driver, Kaduna

The number of kidnappings along the Abuja-Kaduna route is diminishing because of the increased security on the road. Even yesterday, I noticed a lot of security personnel on the road. You can hardly move two kilometres without spotting a security personnel.

The scary thing about the kidnappings is that even if someone’s vehicle is break down and that person is stranded, you will suspect it’s a kidnap plan. The precautions that fellow drivers should take is that, when driving along that road, if you spot a security personnel that is wearing an incomplete uniform with maybe a slippers, my advice is that you speed past them. But the government has really played its part by deploying security personnel along that road.

Tunde Okeniyi, 47, Driver, Abuja

This is my seventh year plying the Abuja-Kaduna route. I have experienced quite a number of tragic incidents. I have not had any personal experience of kidnapping, but I have experienced about three armed robberies. I remember last year when armed robbers stopped our vehicle around Katari and robbed for about 45 minutes on the road. While there some called the police but there was no response. A woman was weeping when they left saying her sister and a boy had been taken into the bush, but I don’t know how it ended.