The Kaduna-Abuja highway is one of the most critical routes connecting Nigeria’s southern and northern states. It is heavily used by businessmen and women as well as commuters who regularly travel between Abuja and Kaduna.
This route, which gained more prominent attention during the Buhari administration when Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja underwent repairs between March and April 2017. Then, flights were redirected to Kaduna Airport thus forcing passengers to travel by road to Abuja as the gateway between the south and the seven North-west states.
Despite the important role this road plays in linking the south and the north, the Kaduna-Abuja Highway has become one of the most dreaded corridors in the country. For instance, it has for years been plagued by banditry and dilapidation, making the usually three hours journey between the two cities perilous for many.
The deteriorated state of the road marked by numerous potholes and barely motorable patches has recently led to hold-up and hour-long gridlocks that has left motorists frustrated for hours, thus contributing hugely to the rise in kidnappings in the environs. These hazards often force vehicles to slow down, making them easy targets for kidnappers who are always on the prowl along the highway.
History of fear amidst insecurity
The Abuja-Kaduna Highway is notorious for kidnappings and brutal attacks which has driven many travellers to seek alternatives means of transportation. In the face of these threats, the Abuja-Kaduna train service instantly became the preferred option for those looking to avoid the dangers lurking along the highway. Seen as a safer, yet inexpensive choice, the train services experienced a massive surge in demand, leading to ticket hoarding by some unscrupulous train staff and touts. Hapless passengers scrambled to secure seats, often bribing their way through.
However, the train as a safe haven was shattered into smithereens in March 2022 when bandits attacked the Kaduna bound-train, derailing it before carting away several passengers into the forest. The attack not only shocked the nation but also eroded the public’s confidence in what was then considered the safest mode of transport along the dangerous corridor.
As if that stigma was not enough to deter passengers, the train has now developed a habit of breaking down during trips putting the lives of passengers in danger and creating palpable fear in them and their loved ones. In 2024 alone, the Kaduna-Abuja train service has faced countless disruptions due to technical hitches.
Significant incidents of train breakdown occurred in January, April, and July, this year alone, leading to delays and/or cancellations. These frequent breakdowns highlight ongoing maintenance and infrastructure inadequacies, compounding travel challenges for passengers. The disruptions have led to extensive delays and raised concerns about the train service’s reliability.
As a result, travel options have been further complicated for those who cannot afford the rising cost of air travels, even as there is no direct flight between Kaduna and Abuja except one is buoyant enough to charter a flight.
Perennial road rehabilitation
The federal government in a bid to address these challenges awarded contract for the road’s reconstruction and expansion to Julius Berger Nigeria Plc on December 20, 2017. Work commenced in June 2018 with an initial completion period of 36 months. The project, initially valued at N155 billion was later reviewed to N797 billion due to various delays and changes in scope of work.
The Tinubu administration has further widened the scope of the project, increasing the total cost to N1.5 trillion. This substantial increase came after the construction company requested a further price review in the face of the economic reality, leading to significant disputes.
The federal government has now set a new completion deadline of May 29, 2025, for the Abuja-Kaduna, Kaduna-Zaria and Zaria-Kano road projects. The ambitious plan involves a 24-month extension with a goal of completing 15 kilometres of road monthly.
Three construction companies – Dangote Group, Julius Berger, and BUA are handling the projects. The initiative also includes the ‘Operation Free Our Roads’ project, aimed at ensuring that all federal roads remain accessible.
Despite the high cost and urgency of the project, the rehabilitation remains slow with no end in sight. The delays have exacerbated the road’s already poor condition, making it even more difficult for travellers who are now caught between the risks of the road and the unreliability of the train.
Government’s response and security measures
In response to the rising insecurity, the government has recently taken steps to make the Kaduna-Abuja highway safer and reduce cases of kidnappings. Blueprint observed that security posts have been mounted in hot spots and trenches have been dug along critical sections of the road to deter bandits and prevent ambushes. Security checkpoints were also removed and patrol teams have intensified patrol on the highway to ensure free and secure transportation.
These measures, while providing some level of assurances are however yet to fully eliminate the fear that often grips passengers when travelling on this route. As it is today, despite the robust security presence along the corridor, commuters never stop having their hearts in their mouths because the criminal elements have a way of being one or two steps ahead of our security operatives.
Voices of lamentation from the road
For those who must use the highway, the situation remains dire. Musa Usman, a frequent traveller on the Abuja-Kano Highway, highlighted the road’s critical importance and the dilemma caused by the delayed reconstruction.
“Many vehicles use this road, including those from other states in the North-west. The federal government needs to give this road the attention it deserves,” he said.
Meanwhile, a commercial driver who frequents the Kaduna-Abuja Highway, Moses Enoch, voiced his frustration with the gridlock caused by the poor state of the road.
“The potholes are so bad that they slow us down, making it easier for bandits to strike. I don’t know why the road repairs are taking this long to complete.
“It’s like we’re sitting ducks out here. Thank God attacks have reduced on the highway, but this should not be the permanent solution; a quick fix of the highway is what would satisfy most commuters,” he lamented.
Mrs Lami Yusuf, a consultant who frequently shuttles between Abuja and Kaduna expressed concern about travelling along the route due to safety fears.
“I’ve significantly reduced my travels; I only use the road when it is absolutely necessary because of the risk of attacks. I’ve resorted to using online platforms as an alternative to deliver my services.
“I explained to my business partners and they understood. I can’t afford to risk travelling on that highway when there’s no certainty about when or where an incident of attack and accident might occur. Look at the rate at which accidents happen on that road because of slow rehabilitation, compounded by risk of getting kidnapped and owing to the punishing traffic grid. For now, I only travel when it is imperative to do so,” Yusuf said.
What solution?
With the road in disrepair and train services unreliable, many Nigerians plying the route find themselves in a difficult position. The cost of air travel is expensive for most, leaving them with no safe or affordable options for travelling between Kaduna and Abuja.
The uncertainty of bandit attacks, coupled with the poor state of the road and the train’s constant technical faults, make commuting between these two cities feel like choosing between the devil and the deep blue sea. As government continues to promise solutions, citizens and residents of the Kaduna-Abuja corridor remain in desperate need of a safe and reliable mode of transportation.
It would be recalled that in 2018, the Nigeria Police, in an attempt to drive safety back on the highway, came up with ‘Operation Puff Adder’. The initiative was conceived to restore confidence in the fearful commuters. After the initial fears driven into the criminals eased, they restrategised and rendered the ‘Adder’ ineffective. Many observers derived the strategy, saying the criminal elements had successfully charmed the ‘Snake’.
Until these issues are addressed, the fear and frustration would continue to mount for those who must pass this critical yet dangerous route.
Glimpse of accidents and bandit attacks
To appreciate the dire situation of using the highway, it will not be out of place to recall some incidents of banditry and/or kidnapping as well as accidents along the corridor, mostly leading to loss of lives, in recent times.
Although road crashes are common features along Nigerian highways, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) will find the Abuja-Kaduna Highway as arguably one of the most worrisome and notorious corridors in the country. There are too countless to keep tabs on owing to its desuetude state with accidents occurring most often and mostly resulting in deaths and maiming of victims and in other cases punctuated by acts of banditry or kidnapping.
Perhaps, the most painful of them was the gruesome killing of a former commissioner for education in Katsina state, Professor Halima Idris along with three others between Jere and Kaateri in 2018.
In 2023 alone, several crashes were recorded, but one singular crash occurred on March 18 involving a total of 172 passengers. About 10 lives were lost, while 48 were rescued with different degrees of injuries. Such large number of victims are common in a plane crash but this expressway is notorious for such scary statistics… all blamable on the horrible state of the road. It is common to see accidents occurring because vehicles coming from opposite direction collide in an attempt to dodge potholes and trenches that dot the highway.
One other factor responsible for road crashes, apart from its deplorable condition is the tendency of many of the drivers to run speed in an attempt to make the journey fast to escape the bad boys on the highway.
The frequency of the road crashes continues to pose a serious challenge to the FRSC and relevant agencies, with no effective solutions in sight. Not even the introduction of mobile courts and patrol operations has made the difference. All these measures are tantamount to waiting for the crab to blink without fixing the road and then enforce compliance on safety.
According to the statistics made available by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), about 5,081 people were killed in various forms of road accidents in 2023 across various highways. Also, 31,873 people suffered various forms of injury within the same period.
Of this number, Kaduna state had the highest incidents of both deaths and injuries. The state recorded 490 deaths; this is almost 10 per cent of the total road deaths recorded across the country within the year
This is followed by Ogun, Niger and the FCT with road death casualties of 394, 325, and 316, respectively, according to the NBS.
Also, 2,907 people, representing 9.12 per cent, sustained injuries within Kaduna state, the highest reported in the year. The FCT followed it with 2,457 people, and Ogun with 2,433 people.
For more than a decade, Kaduna state has been in the spotlight for several deaths recorded due to road crashes. Data from the Federal Road Safety Commission’s (FRSC) website shows that Kaduna recorded the highest number of casualties and fatalities from road accidents between 2007 and 2016. Findings also showed that 4,025 people were killed in road accidents in the state within those years.
Additional findings from data available at the NBS showed that between 2017 and 2022, 3,307 died in road accidents within the state alone. This would mean that in 17 years, a total of 7,332 people perished in Kaduna state. Someone with a diabolical sense of humour might suggest that there seems to be a highway monster-spirit feeding on human lives and sucking blood in the state that needs to be tamed or exorcised. The deplorable state of the highway might just be a contributing factor!
Be that as it may, the solution to the incessant road crashes, beyond superstition, is fixing the highway and securing it from marauding criminals.