Ribadu boasts killing key terrorists controlling Abuja-Kaduna highway

|By Adejumo Adekunle

…High-profile insurgents neutralized in security sweep
…NSA says safer roads now encourage top officials to travel by land

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, has claimed credit for the elimination of three notorious terrorists who once held sway along the deadly Abuja-Kaduna expressway.

Ribadu named the slain insurgents as Kachalla Boka, Dogo Isah, and Kachalla Shekau. He disclosed that the trio were responsible for years of bloodshed and kidnapping on the route, until they were “taken out” by security forces under his watch.

“You drive from Abuja to Kaduna now because we killed those bastards,” Ribadu said, while addressing an interactive session organized by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation in Kaduna State.

He added: “Kachalla Boka, Dogo Isah, and Kachalla Shekau were in control of those areas. Even last night, we drove from Abuja; it’s a statement we want to make. All the ministers, we stopped everyone from flying.”

According to the NSA, the success in reclaiming control of the highway is a deliberate security strategy aimed at restoring public confidence in Nigeria’s road transport system and cutting down unnecessary air travel among top government officials.

His remarks come at a time when concerns about violent crimes on highways have escalated across the country, with many Nigerians forced to avoid road travel altogether.

The renewed security efforts, he said, are part of a broader national response to terrorism and banditry, especially in northern Nigeria where criminal groups have operated with near-impunity for years.