A journey from Akure, the Ondo State capital, to Ado-Ekiti the Ekiti State capital, on the Akure-Ado-Ekiti road once adjudged the shortest route to Ekiti State from the Akure end, has now degenerated to the nightmare of every motorist’s nightmare and commuters plying the road.
Apart from the deplorable state of the road which used to take travellers about 25 minutes from one end to the other, motorists now spend 90 tortuous minutes, thereby giving kidnappers the opportunity to carry out their nefarious activities. In the recent past, there have been reports of rape, killing and kidnapping on the road.
Reports have it that the hoodlums shifted their camps to the Akure-Ado-Ekiti road from the Owo-Ikare Akoko road after the Ondo State government embarked on the reconstruction of the bad spots on the Owo- Ikare road where kidnappers operated without any hindrance. The rehabilitation is said to be part of efforts of the state government to check kidnapping in the state.
But despite all measures put in place by the 32 Artillery Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Akure in fighting kidnapping in the two states (Ondo and Ekiti), the menace is far from being over. Daredevil kidnappers, a few weeks back, abducted a commercial bus driver, Akinde Felix, who was driving towards Akure from Ado Ekiti in the early hours of the day. It was gathered that the hoodlums, armed to the teeth, blocked the road, stopped him and reportedly took him. It was, confirmed that the commercial bus driver was the only victim from whom the kidnappers demanded N5m to secure his release. Akinde was released three days later after parting with the sum of N2m after a terrible experience in the den of the kidnappers. According to him, the modus operandi of the hoodlums was to block the road and drag the occupants of the vehicle into the bush where they are robbed, raped and kidnapped for ransom.
He disclosed that the men were usually armed with sophisticated weapons and usually moved from one spot to another, taking the advantage of the bad road to operate unhindered.
The route, however, is not only prone to criminal attacks it has also become a death trap for travellers as a result of its deplorable condition. The Ado Ekiti-Ikere road was rehabilitated by the Ekiti State government sometime ago despite it being a federal road. Several lives have been lost in ghastly motor accidents on that route as a result of its poor condition.
Speaking to the Nigerian Tribune, the chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Ondo State, Jacob Adebo, says armed men have taken advantage of the bad state of the road to torment and attack motorists and commuters and usually dispossess them of their valuables.
He said the drivers’ union sometimes ago planned to embark on some measures to fill the potholes on some parts of the road to reduce their hardship but they had to stop when they learnt that the Federal Government would embark on reconstruction of the entire road. “We are appealing to the state and federal governments to find a lasting solution to the deplorable state of the road,” he said.
One of the drivers, Samuel Akingboyega, who also spoke to the Nigerian Tribune, says business was not as usual as passengers now avoid the road over its deplorable state and fear of being kidnapped.
“Some passengers and motorists have lost their valuables on this road; the potholes have damaged many of our vehicles. This is a busy road that links the two states and it is sad that a journey of 25 minutes from Akure to Ado Ekiti now lasts for about an hour and some minutes. The distance from Akure to Iju and Ita Ogbolu is so bad to the extent that some motorists spend hours on this road. Some private car owners prefer to take Igbara Oke to get to Ado Ekiti because of their safety, not minding the time spent.
“Passengers and motorists cannot predict when they will reach their destinations while plying the road, some workers who ply the route on a daily basis in Akure or Ado Ekiti have stopped coming everyday but go home on weekends,” Adegboyega.
A motorist and civil servant with the Ekiti State civil service, Omowumi Sanusi, said she used to coming from Ado-Ekiti to her place of work in Akure on a daily basis, but had to stop for security reasons.
She explains that travelling from Akure to Ado-Ekiti had become a risk, noting that apart from the fear of being kidnapped, the road has become a sorry sight. “Each time I travelled on this road, my blood pressure heightened. Apart from visiting the mechanic’s workshop every week, I also usually visit the clinic. So, I decided to go home on weekends and return on Mondays. I was forced to relocate because of the hardship of plying the road and to avoid lateness,” she said.
A resident of Odudu in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State, Bola Toheeb, who is also a trader says the state of the road has affected the economy of petty traders on the axis. “Sales here have dropped significantly. We have to carry most of the farm produce to Akure because people no longer wait to buy from us. We usually spend a lot of money to transport the product to Akure because only few drivers ply the road and they charge us exorbitantly,” she said.
Another commercial driver, Fred Ighinaware, told Nigerian Tribune that the deplorable state of the road has forced many drivers out of business while those who are still plying the road have reduced their number of daily shuttles.
“The road is so bad that it takes a long time to go through it for hours. The flow of passengers has also reduced drastically limiting the number of trips we make daily. Our vehicles develop mechanical faults as a result of the state of the road. Government should come to our aid by repairing the road,” he said.
It will be recalled that some youths from the communities in Akure North Local Government Area protested recently over the deplorable condition of the road.
The state governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, visited the road to assess the level of damage, especially during this rainy season. Akeredolu, during his visit explained that he had met with his Ekiti State counterpart, Dr. Kayode Fayemi for total reconstruction of the road, saying the joint intervention work on the deplorable state of the Akure – Ikere Road would commence soon.
“The governor of Ekiti State and I have mounted more than enough pressure on the Federal Government to rehabilitate this road. That has led to the redesigning of the road and the only thing left is the construction to start,” he said.
However, the Nigerian Army, 32 Artillery Brigade, in the state has promised to end kidnapping on the road and across the state, and part of measures by the brigade is the introduction of a new technology deployed to nab kidnappers in their camps in the thick forest in Ondo and Ekiti states.
Speaking during the launch of the drone, the Brigade Commander, Brig. General Zakari Logun Abubakar, said the introduction of the technology was part of measures to stem the rising insecurity in the state and country.
According to the Brigade Commander, the drone, Phantom 5DGI which is the latest technology in aerial surveillance, can cover up to seven kilometres radius with capabilities at recording and transmitting report back to base.
Abubakar, who frowned at the rate of kidnapping across the country, disclosed that another drone would be manned within the airspace of Ekiti State to monitor the activities of the kidnappers and flush them out of the two states, saying the days of kidnappers are over in the two states.
“With this launching, we have been able to map out the vast forest and studied it, so our men can move in. I can tell you that the bandits’ days are over in this state. All the boundary links to Ondo State will now be monitored, tracked with this drone. I repeat, that the days of kidnappers in Ondo and Ekiti states are numbered,” he said.
The Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, Undie Adie, also said some measures had been put in place by his command as part of efforts to curb criminal activities and kidnapping in the state with the ”Operation Puff Adder” recently launched in the state, saying the operation was introduced to flush out kidnappers from the state.
He disclosed that a special task force has been put in place which led to the arrest of about 10 kidnappers in their hideouts across the state. The police boss disclosed that successful operations and raids against bandits and kidnappers in the state were forcing the criminals out of the state.
He commended the state government for its assistance and called on members of the public not to hesitate to provide information on any strange movement or activities in their area to assist the security agencies tackle the challenges of insecurity in the state.
Speaking on the efforts of the state government to curb the activities of the kidnappers, the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the governor, Mr. Segun Ajiboye, said the state governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, has declared total war on the kidnappers and other criminals in the state, with a promise to bring an end to the menace.
Ajiboye said the governor had met with all the security agencies in the state to put an end to kidnapping.