Driver shot dead as robbers unleash terror on Enugu-Abakaliki expressway

Tension has gripped motorists and commuters on the Enugu-Abakaliki Expressway following a fresh wave of armed robbery attacks on the federal road in Enugu State.

According to sources, criminal gangs have intensified their operations along the strategic corridor between Eke-Obinagu and Amechi Idodo, a major junction that leads directly to the country home of the Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah.

The development has shattered the relative peace that had prevailed on the highway since the #EndSARS protests, which led to the removal of numerous security checkpoints along the route.

The situation came to a head after a series of ambushes. In the most recent incident, the driver of a commercial bus was shot dead by robbers. Sources from local transport unions disclosed that the driver was returning from Lagos and heading to Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, when armed men intercepted the vehicle, robbed passengers, and killed the driver.

The attack had earlier sparked outrage, with aggrieved commercial drivers temporarily blocking the expressway to demand immediate security intervention from the state government and the police command.

In response to the resurgence of criminal activity, the Nigeria Police Force has deployed multiple night-to-dawn checkpoints. However, commuters have complained that these checkpoints have created a secondary problem of extortion. Some drivers allege that armed robbers now use the same police checkpoints to trap unsuspecting motorists, sometimes wearing police uniforms to deceive victims before robbing them.

One commercial driver, who frequently plies the route, linked the rise in highway robberies to the harsh economic situation in Enugu State. He stated that hunger and severe economic deprivation were driving young people into crime, adding that the criminals operate mainly between 7pm and 6am, targeting commercial vehicles carrying goods from Onitsha to Cross River State.

Transport stakeholders have warned that the critical commercial artery linking the South-East to the South-South and North-Central regions could be cut off if the unchecked criminal activities continue.

Efforts to get a reaction from the Enugu State Police Command were unsuccessful, as the command’s spokesperson did not respond to calls or text messages.