A 45-year-old artist, Balogun Omokhafe, popularly known as Hakuzion, has completed a four-day trek from Akoko-Edo Local Government Area to Benin City, the Edo State capital, to protest the worsening condition of the Igarra-Ibillo stretch of the Auchi–Ibillo Road.
Omokhafe, who hails from Ekpesa in Akoko-Edo, began his journey from Ibillo but was forced by rain to take a vehicle to Auchi, from where he continued on foot to Benin.
His goal, he said, was to draw the attention of the state government to the dangerous state of the road, which he claims has become a hotspot for kidnappers.
Speaking to journalists on Monday, the artist said, “I am from Ekpesa in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area. I am an artist. I trekked from Auchi to Benin.
“I started the journey from Ibillo, but due to the rain, I had to take a vehicle to Auchi and continued the trek from there to meet the governor at the Government House.”
Omokhafe decried the high rate of insecurity along the route, noting that conservative estimates suggest that at least 100 people have been kidnapped in the area, with several fatalities recorded.
He also highlighted the case of Okasime Olowojoba, the Labour Party chairman of Ward 1, who has been missing for over four months after being abducted on the same road.
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“The reason for this trek is about the bad road from Auchi to Ibillo, especially the Igarra to Ibillo axis, which has become a death trap to our people.
“You can’t travel along that road and bid your family a proper farewell because you may not return.
“From rough statistics, over 100 people have been kidnapped on that road, and many have been killed. The Ward 1 Labour Party chairman in Akoko-Edo has been kidnapped on that road for the past four months, and to date, he has not been seen.”
On whether he was not scared of dangers along the way, he said, “This trek took me four days to get to Benin, what we have been facing in Akoko-Edo conquered the fear I would have had on the way.
“We want the government to look into the Auchi-Igarra road and fix it. We know the governor is hard working, I even saw some of the work he is doing while on my way to Benin, but we need his support to save us from the kidnappers due to the bad road.
“Those kidnappers will not be able to operate there if the road is good.”