For the residents of Ukpata community, Uzo-Uwani local government area of Enugu, life is indeed difficult.
Travelling from the landlocked community to other parts of the state especially Nsukka metropolis is like making a journey from the biblical Jericho to Jerusalem.
Apart from the deplorable condition of the road, motorists and road users also have to contend with the worsening security situation in the area.
WITHIN NIGERIA gathered that in the last four years, armed bandits have continued to terrorize and kidnap commuters. Many of them usually get killed by these hoodlums especially when they are being kidnapped for ransom.
Our reporter that last year, the state established the Distress Rapid Squad, DRS with a view to curbing the situation.
However, personnel of this security outfit were equipped with new vehicle to ease their patrol exercises.
In any case, few months after the establishment of this security outfit, commuters have continued to lament high level of extortion traced to DRS.
One of the residents who preferred anonymity told WITHIN NIGERIA that the DRS outfit impose compulsory N1000 for each and every passenger to and fro Nsukka in Ukpata community.
According to our source, ” transportation fare from Ukpata to Nsukka metropolis and vice versa is N2000. But we pay N3000 extra for every trip. It is an open secret that the additional N1000 is for the DRS.”
Explaining further, our source said that ” nobody will refuse to pay the N1000. You dare not try it otherwise the driver will refund your transport fare.”
Asked how the DRS help checkmate insecurity in the area, our source revealed that ” after loading the bus which sometimes should be about three, the DRS outfit will now escort these buses from Ukpata to Uvuru, a distance of about twenty kilometres.
“At the same time, after loading at Nsukka park, the driver will then alert DRS and they will wait for them at Uvuru for onward movement to Ukpata. This has been on for the past one year.”
Another resident of the community who gave his name as Jude told WITHIN NIGERIA that “for more than six months now, I have not gone out of this community to Nsukka. This is because of high cost of transportation.
“Moreso, you are not even sure of the security outfit because some time ago, we heard that they were attacked on the road. Our community has become a no go area because of insecurity and high transport fare.”
Narrating further, Jude stressed that “our schools are collapsing every term. Public school teachers are being transferred from our community because they cannot continue to sacrifice their life on the altar of insecurity.”
Our source also revealed that many drivers and passengers have being killed and kidnapped by bandits along that road in the recent past. Public school teachers posted to that community usually come once in a week.
However, our reporter could not get the reaction of the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Enugu state police command, Daniel Ndukwe as he was not picking his calls.
