5 safety tips when travelling along Kaduna-Abuja expressway

The Kaduna-Abuja expressway is one of the most dangerous roads in the country at the moment, not just because of it’s bad road, but also because of the frequent kidnappings by bandits on the road. As a lot of people would be going through the road especially during this Easter festivity, I’d be sharing with you 5 secrets to safe travelling along the Kaduna-Abuja expressway.

1) Avoid night journeys along the road: A lot of people prefer night journeys to day journeys, but for the Kaduna-Abuja road, night journey shouldn’t be a preference. It’s mostly at night that the bandits and kidnappers carry out their plans on the road, especially as the security personnels on the road would have reduced.

If you can’t make your journey during the day, schedule the journey for the following day, rather than travelling through the road at night. Remember the train attack that happened weeks ago at the Kaduna-Abuja railway, it was a night attack, it didn’t happen during the day.

2) Always travel in group along the road: Even while traveling through the road in daytime, make sure to travel in groups. By groups I don’t mean group of people, but group of cars. Don’t be a loner. Make sure that vehicles are always in front of your vehicle and also behind you. Once you notice that there are no vehicles in sight ahead of you, make a pause and wait for a while till you can assume that all is well.

3) Make sure your car is in good condition before travelling: Now this is very important. Before travelling on that road, run a total checkup on your car to ensure that it is in good condition. This is because in the event that your car breaks down on the road, you’d not only be stranded, but you’d also be prone to attack or kidnap, especially if it happens in a secluded area.

If you happen to have a flat tire, move on with it until you get to a safe place, before you change it. If there is a complete breakdown such that you can’t move on with the car, call for help immediately. Do not hesitate.

4) Be wary of checkpoints: Both the Police and the Army setup checkpoints along the road, but some of these bandits and kidnappers have been known to disguise as either the Police or Army by setting up their own checkpoints. Therefore be wary of them. Before you get to a checkpoints, make sure a good number of vehicles are ahead of you.

5) Be focused and be prayerful: Don’t be distracted by either your passengers or your travel partners, but be focused and always look ahead of you while driving. Also be prayerful, committing your journey in the hands of God.