The security situation on highways in Nasarawa State in the last quarters of 2021 records drastic improvement compared with previous quarters of the year, investigation by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) has revealed.
Some heads of security agencies in the state, travellers and official of National Union of Transport Workers (NURTW) who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) separately, on Thursday in Lafia, confirmed reduction in crimes on the highways.Umar Nadada, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) in charge of Operation, Nasarawa State Police Command, told NAN that operational strategy was reviewed to counter the activities of criminal elements on the highways,especially during the embers months.
The DCP said the command had beefed up security at 11 different points on Lafia-Akwanga road to adequately protect travellers and counter the activities of robbers and kidnappers terrorising innocent commuters.Nadada said that the command had deployed 10 cells, from Counter-Terrorism Unit (CTU) of the command in addition to 3 patrol vehicles on Lafia-Makurdi highway to ensure safety.“
To make Lafia-Makurdi road safer in this ember months, we have injected 10 cell, a cell comprises of 10 policemen, there is a lot of security improvement because there is serious crime reduction in the state,” he said.Abbas Mohammed, Commandant of Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Nasarawa State Command, said the command had put in place adequate security in strategic locations to counter the activities of criminal elements on highways.Mohammed said that the command had also deployed patrol team inside Lafia town and other highways like: Lafia – Makurdi, Lafia – Doma, Lafia – Awe and Lafia – Shendam roads to ensure safer highways.“Before my assumption in office, there had been series of security situations especially on Lafia – Akwanga road, we deployed pinned down position and patrol strategies to check criminal activities on that road,” he said.He commended Nasarawa State Government for being proactive to security management and said the state recorded fewer incidences of security threat compared with the first quarters of the year.Salihu Adamu, Chairman National Union of Roads Transport Worker (NURTW) Nasarawa State Branch, told NAN that there had been a decline in the attack on his members compared with the first and third quarters of the year.“
The security situation on our roads is improving, before now, in a week, I used to receive reports of two to three attack by armed robbers and kidnappers, but I have not received such reports in recent time,” he said.
Matthew Adigizi, a commercial driver told NAN that there was a decline in kidnapping, robbery and other forms of attack on Lafia – Akwanga road compared with the beginning of the year.Mercy Omokhe, a passenger told NAN that before now, she had lost interest in travelling because of rate of insecurity on the highways, she, however, said there was improvement in the last quarter of the year, if compared with the first quarter.
On his part, Augustine Kuzza, a passenger at the New Park, Lafia, recalled high level of insecurity; kidnapping, robbery on the highways before now.He also confirmed reduction in the level of crimes due to efforts of the security agencies in the state. (NAN)
