By Oyibo Salihu
Lokoja
The Kogi state chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to, as a matter of urgency, restore military check points on federal highways in the state, to checkmate excesses of robbery.
In a statement signed by the acting chairman of the union, Mr. Sunday Aro and the secretary, Mr. Adeiza Momohjimoh and made available to newsmen in Lokoja yesterday, the union leaders decried the spate of robbery and kidnapping shortly after the withdrawal of the military check points as not only alarming, but disturbing.
The statement added that armed bandits have taken over major highways, operating with reckless abandon, revealing 12 innocent lives were lost on Monday at Irepeni village along Lokoja -Okene highways due to accident caused by barricades mounted by armed hoodlums.
They stated that the impunity with which the robbery gangs operate in the state showed that the “Police alone cannot effectively tackle the security challenges on the highways”.
The union, therefore, appealed to President Buhari to restore check points on the two major highways, Lokoja-Okene road and Lokoja-Ajaokuta-Anyigba roads to enable motorists ply the road without fear of attacks.
