The rate of kidnapping in Nigeria has risen considerably in the last five years. It is estimated that no fewer than 1,000 people are kidnapped on a daily basis across the country, thus making kidnapping more or less the new “milking industry” for the perpetrators.
Despite the high resistance by the laws of the land, especially as entrenched in the Criminal Act (CAP 38, FN 2004) which establishes kidnapping as a serious offence and an act of felony, which attracts a punishment of 10 years’ imprisonment, the act still persists, the gravity of the penalty notwithstanding.
Lagos and its environs, especially the Lagos-Badagry Expressway have become a fortress and the den of kidnappers. The highway is now fearful than ever, to the extent that extra vigilance should be embraced by passengers before boarding vehicles towards this fearful area. Not forgetting that the state of the road over the past few years has made it more vulnerable to attacks from criminal-minded people; this is not helped by the general and erroneous statement that Badagry is not on the map of Lagos State.
So saddening as it may be, the road has gone so badly that in the twilight of the Ambode government, the residents of areas along the road planned peaceful protests to Alausa, Ikeja, the seat of the Lagos State Government, to express their grievances on the state of the road, extortion from the drivers of the buses plying this route, cases of kidnaps, among others but were stopped for reasons unknown.
Perhaps, it is in order not to expose some people that might be culpable in the administration then or because of the political undertones and influences. But does that stop the innumerable scenarios of people being stripped of their hard-earned belongings and dropped by the roadside after the evils had been perpetrated on them? Worse still, some of the victims are even carted away to the neighbouring countries where the culprits demand ransoms from the victims’ families through an international line when kidnapped.
In all sincerity, the Lagos-Badagry Expressway is one of the routes that make human trafficking or kidnapping easy due to how porous it is; the only security agents on patrol have always been the customs officials and they are not concerned about what is going out of the country but only what comes in probably for selfish reasons, especially, what can be made from smugglers with pardonable contraband. This may be the reason they don’t stay in the lane that leads out of Nigeria.
The dangers on this highway have made people stop coming to even pay visit to their close relatives as life and livelihood might be on risk. Sadly, this route has received little or no attention despite being a federal road which was awarded for repair with grant from ECOWAS. There isn’t any plausible progress to it, instead it is even getting worse daily.
Let the Lagos State Government be on trial!. Many have lost their loved ones to the insecurity on this highway or because of its desolate state.
The Lagos State Government should not play the ostrich on this issue. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu should rather deploy operatives to this route and its environs. He should also take the bull by the horns on the repair of the road or the quick facilitation by any agency involved.
Adekunle Sulaimon
Ibadan, Oyo State
END
Be the first to comment