They claimed kidnappers take advantage of these potholes on the road to perpetrate their evil plans.
According to them, the kidnappers take on innocent motorists and passengers who park by the road to fix their tyres damaged as a result of potholes on the highway.
It would be recalled that there was an emergency intervention early this year to remove the dangerous potholes and eliminate potential hazards that could cause accidents for motorists.
This was done ahead of the reconstruction and repair of the Abuja airport runway which led to a diversion of air traffic and passengers from Abuja to Kaduna.
The FG then said it spent N1.58billion to repair the N165km Abuja-Kaduna road.
A driver at the Kawo motor park who gave his name as Abdullahi said that the bad state of the road is contributing to the success of the operations of kidnappers on the highway.
“The roads are bad and when you have flat tyre, you will be afraid because while you are trying to fix your car, anybody or group of people can just come and abduct you or the passengers.
Some of us would have stopped the driving work but because we don’t have any other source of income, we keep risking our lives, praying God to protect us, he said.
Another commercial driver, Alhassan said the issue of potholes on the road is a big problem that must be solved as a matter of urgency.
He said, it is claiming lives as well as destroying vehicles.
He also lamented that the potholes on the road is aiding the activities of kidnappers as they take advantage of the road to abduct innocent people.
“We are always worried each time we are driving, so also the passengers and that is why some people no longer travel by road to Abuja,”
“Another thing that worries us is that when we see our co-driver who need help on the highway, we find it difficult to stop and help them because we are afraid kidnappers can attack at any time,” he said.
“The road we are plying to and fro Abuja is too bad and the kidnappers use this as an opportunity.
“We are always at a cross road, we can’t escape the potholes, and when we slow down to pass, then we meet trouble.
“The potholes gives us flat tyres, thus giving room for kidnappers to abduct passengers from the car and even the driver in some cases,” Obinna Alioha, a driver said.
Narrating his ordeal, a private car owner, Malam Mustapha said, “Last week, on my way to Kaduna from Abuja, just after Katari, I ran into a very deep pothole, which destroyed two of my car tyres at the spot.
“I managed to move away from the centre of the road. Myself and my colleagues in the car were very scared because the incident took place in a bush and because of the activities of kidnappers, we didn’t get help on time as other drivers were also scared to stop to render any help,”
“Because the tyres were completely damaged, we needed to get to the nearest village to inflate the spare tyre and buy one additional tyre to be able to continue the tyre.
“My colleagues had to trek on foot to the nearest village while I moved slowly with the damaged tyre and double trafficator to a vulcanizer in the next village.
“Apart from the tyre, my alloy rim, upper arm and tyre-rod were destroyed and it cost me over N90, 000 to fix everything,” he lamented, calling on government to be proactive and responsible.
