El-Rufai says Kaduna-Abuja Highway now safest in Nigeria, gives reasons

Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El Rufai, on Saturday declared that the Kaduna-Abuja Highway has become the safest in the country, from being the most dangerous.

According to the governor, no act of criminality or kidnapping has taken place on the road in the last two months, adding that this is due to the measures taken by his government in collaboration with security agencies.

The governor stated this in Kaduna while speaking with journalists after declaring open a meeting of Federal and State security Administrators in Kaduna, adding that the state has amended it’s penal code since 2016 to make Kidnapping a capital offence in Kaduna state.

“But in the last few months, there has been a great reduction in cases of kidnapping. Though it is a combination of issues, I will like to give credit to our Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs because the creation of that ministry has raised the level of proactiveness these issues.

“The second thing is that the security agencies have changed their strategies from reaction to action. So, they don’t wait until kidnapping takes place. They identify where the bandits are and they go and attack them; so the bandits have been on the run. In the past, we wait until it happens and then, we start running helter-shelter.

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“Thirdly, I think there is a high level of coordination and cooperation within the security agencies. So, you find out that, the Air Force is in the air doing ISR, the intelligence surveillance and feeding the police and others on the ground with information. So, the level of cooperation has been enhanced and that has helped in dealing with these problems.

“A very good example is the Kaduna-Abuja road. The Kaduna-Abuja road has not witnessed a single incident of criminality or kidnapping in the last two and a half months. But, many people still think it is not safe, they are not plying it and the rest. That road is the safest road in Nigeria today. Because of constant surveillance; the Air Force has helicopters and planes constantly over the road and they are feeding information, and the kidnappers that use to stay around the road have all been wiped out or chased deeper into the jungle” the governor said.

el-Rufai further disclosed that the state has invested in state of the art security equipment like drones and Closed Circuit Television Cameras to ensure that the state remains safe.

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