Fresh concerns have emerged over renewed highway robbery attacks along the Enugu-Abakaliki Expressway, with motorists and commuters lamenting increasing insecurity on the busy interstate route.
The expressway, which links Enugu and Ebonyi states and serves as a major commercial corridor in the South-East, has reportedly witnessed a resurgence of armed robbery activities, particularly around the Eke-Obinagu and Idodo areas of Enugu State.
Findings gathered by our correspondent indicated that several travellers had recently been attacked by armed gangs operating mostly at night, forcing many motorists to avoid the highway after dusk.
Sources disclosed that one of the latest incidents involved a commercial Sienna bus driver travelling from Lagos to Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, who was allegedly killed during an attack.
The assailants were said to have intercepted the vehicle at night, dispossessing passengers of their belongings before reportedly killing the driver.
Following the renewed attacks, security operatives have reportedly reintroduced multiple checkpoints along the route between 6pm and 7am.
However, some motorists accused security personnel of concentrating more on extorting drivers than addressing the growing insecurity on the highway.
Commercial drivers who spoke with our correspondent expressed fears over the development, noting that the road had remained relatively safe in recent years after the reduction of checkpoints following the #EndSARS protests.
A driver identified simply as Nwaneri blamed worsening economic hardship for the return of highway robbery in the state.
“I can tell you for sure that hunger and economic hardship in Enugu State are contributing to the resurgence of highway robbery,” he said.
“Kidnapping is no longer yielding as much money as before, so many criminals have returned to attacking motorists on highways. They mostly operate between 7pm and 6am, targeting vehicles conveying goods.”
According to him, the robbers often trail commercial vehicles transporting goods from Onitsha to Cross River and neighbouring states before launching attacks.
Some commuters also alleged that criminals sometimes exploit the confusion around security checkpoints to attack unsuspecting travellers.
Residents of communities along the expressway expressed concern that the growing insecurity could disrupt commercial activities and hinder the movement of goods across states in the South-East and South-South regions.
The Enugu-Abakaliki Expressway remains a major economic route connecting traders and transporters across Enugu, Ebonyi and Cross River states.
Road users, therefore, called on security agencies to intensify patrols and surveillance on the highway to restore confidence among travellers.
Efforts to get the reaction of the Enugu State Police Command were unsuccessful as the command’s spokesperson, SP Daniel Ndukwe, neither answered calls nor replied to a text message sent to him as of the time of filing this report.
Highway robbery and kidnapping have continued to pose security challenges on several roads across the South-East, with residents repeatedly calling for tighter security measures and improved highway patrols.
