Commuters plying the Abuja-Keffi-Lafia highway in Nasarawa State have expressed concerns over the increasing cases of armed robbery on the road.
A cross section of the commuters who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lafia, urged the Police and other security agencies to rise to the occasion.
Mr Stephen Eche, a passenger travelling from Abuja to Makurdi, said that their journey was delayed for hours on Friday morning around Keffi, following reports of a road block mounted by suspected armed robbers between Garaku and Akwanaga.
According to Eche, the ever- busy road linking the North to the South and Eastern parts of the country was blocked without vehicular movement for over an hour.
Similarly, Abdulrazak Mohammed, spokesman of the Nasarawa State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, recalled how some pilgrims and six officials returning from Hajj were attacked and dispossessed of their valuables by armed men between Akwanga and Nasarawa Eggon on Thursday.
Mohammed said that although none of the pilgrims were injured during the attack, all their valuables including cash and souvenirs from Saudi Arabia were carted away by the hoodlums.
Isa Bello, a driver plying the Abuja-Lafia route, said commercial transport drivers now dreaded embarking on evening trips for fear of robbery.
“Now that the robbers have become bold enough to operate during the day, it makes the situation worrisome.
“The government and security agencies should act fast to guarantee the safety of lives and property of the people on these roads,” Bello said.
