News Editor
By Steven Kefas, Abuja
Terrorists on Monday 22, November abducted some yet to be ascertained number of road users along the dreaded Abuja-Kaduna express way.
This abduction is coming barely 24 hours after a prominent Zamfara politician was killed while many commuters were abducted along the Kateri axis of the road.
The terrorists in their numbers blocked the Sabon Atilibu (Near Gidan Bussa) axis of the road at about 5pm Nigerian time and began shooting sporadically, forcing motorists and road users to abandon their vehicles and scamper for safety
Middle Belt Times reporter who was en-route to Kaduna witnessed the incident firsthand and reported that many travelers were abducted from two vehicles; an 18 seater bus and a saloon car.
On the spot of the abduction, this reporter observed dozens of heavily armed security men comprising of the military, the police and the civil defence were seen standing instead of engaging the terrorists.
This reporter counted over 70 vehicles parked on both lanes of the road leading to a blockade.
At about 5:15pm, the terrorists retreated into the forests with the abductees as the security men on ground watched in awe.
Traffic was eventually restored afterwards as commuters struggle to leave the area.
A commercial driver who spoke to this reporter on condition of anonymity blamed the recent waves of abduction along the road on the deplorable state of the road and the network shutdown embarked upon by the Kaduna state government.
“The bad state of the road is actually aiding the activities of the bandits.
“They usually go to bad spots along the road because they know that road users must apply brakes on such spots to avoid damaging their vehicles.” He said
He also said that the shutdown of telecommunication networks in parts the state which affected the Abuja-Kaduna express way, makes it impossible for road users encountering danger to call to inform other road users or the security.
“Before now, whenever there is such operations, our colleagues who may have gone ahead of us usually call to inform us to be careful or call the security for help but now everybody is on his own.” He lamented.
Recall that, the Kaduna state government in October announced the shutdown of telecommunication networks in some parts of the state, citing an ongoing war against terrorists as reason for the the shutdown.
Several communities in Chikun and other parts of the state, especially Southern Kaduna have come under repeated attacks despite the ongoing military operations.
In October, 66 worshipers were abducted from a Baptist church in Kakau community in Chikun local government area of the state. Two out of the 66 were later killed by their captors while three were injured in captivity.
