By Ralph Omololu Agbana

For regular commuters on the Omu-Aran-Obbo-Ille-Eruku-Egbe road, the verdict is unanimous: the federal route has virtually ceased to exist.

The critical road, which links Kogi State’s Yagba region with Kwara State and the South-West, has deteriorated so badly that a journey from Egbe in Kogi State to Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, which once took two to three hours, now takes seven to eight hours or, in some cases, an entire day.

The 143-kilometre route has become particularly dangerous during the rainy season, with badly damaged sections forcing motorists to take detours through forests.

Community leaders have consequently called for urgent government intervention, warning that the deteriorating road is not only crippling commercial activities but also exposing travellers to kidnappers and other criminals.

The sections between Obbo-Ille and Eruku are located in Kwara State. Years of neglect by successive administrations have left the road in a state of disrepair, with motorists and residents describing it as a death trap.

Travellers from the Yagba axis of Kogi State now struggle to reach neighbouring Kwara State and the South-West through the route. Those who attempt the journey face the risk of kidnapping and other attacks.

The experience of commercial driver, Mayowa Olumuyiwa, illustrates the severity of the crisis.

Olumuyiwa was transporting cashew products along the Egbe-Eruku road when gunmen emerged from the bush and ordered him to stop. Suspecting that they were bandits, he manoeuvred around the attackers, allowing him and his assistant to jump out and escape into the bush.

The pair trekked through the forest to Eruku, where they reported the incident to the police. By the time officers reached the scene, the attackers had set the vehicle ablaze, destroying the newly acquired bus and its load of cashew products.

Although the presence of a military Forward Operating Base around the Egbe-Eruku boundary has helped to contain criminal activities in the area, attacks have continued.

Nine passengers travelling towards Ilorin were abducted along the route in October 2025, while three police officers and two vigilantes were killed in an attack in September of the same year.

Karimi seeks urgent intervention

Against this backdrop, Senator representing Kogi West, Sunday Karimi, has begun efforts to secure urgent intervention for the road.

Karimi said he had engaged the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, officials of the ministry, and the Controllers of Works in Kogi and Kwara states over the deteriorating condition of the route.

He has also approached major cement manufacturers whose heavy-duty trucks regularly use the road, including Mangal Cement, Dangote and BUA, seeking palliative measures to restore access to the worst sections.

Speaking with journalists on Sunday, the senator said funding remained a major challenge to the rehabilitation of the road.

He said he had also spoken with the Managing Director of Mangal Industries, Fahad Dahiru Mangal, about the possibility of the company undertaking immediate palliative works.

“Over the last three weeks, I have been following up with the Honourable Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, and other relevant officials in the ministry, and the Controllers of Works for Kwara and Kogi states on the condition of this road,” Karimi said.

He added that he had discussed the matter with the minister and was also seeking assistance from Dangote and BUA.

“I am just as concerned as everyone who plies the road, and I will continue to put in more effort and lobby relevant stakeholders to ensure relief is brought to our people,” he said.

Karimi said the response from Mangal had been encouraging.

“Something urgent needs to be done to fix that road. I don’t want to go into details of our discussions. All I can tell you is that the response is encouraging. Mangal gave me the assurance to look into it,” he said.

He also disclosed that he had contacted representatives of the National Security Adviser on measures to improve security along the route.

According to Karimi, Mangal Cement said it had prioritised spending N50 million monthly on maintaining access roads within and outside Ilu-Hagba, its host community.

Funding gap

Karimi’s intervention has also renewed questions over the prolonged absence of a comprehensive rehabilitation programme on the Kwara section of the route.

Investigations show that the wider Ilorin-Omu-Aran-Egbe-Kabba road has remained largely impassable for years, despite successive contract awards and funding challenges.

Meanwhile, rehabilitation is progressing on the Ejiba-Isanlu section of the Kabba-Egbe-Ilorin road in Kogi State.

The Ejiba-Ayetoro-Gbede phase is being handled by CGC, a Chinese construction company, under a Federal Ministry of Works project funded through SUKUK VI.

The development has prompted calls for similar attention to the severely degraded sections in Kwara State.

Observers are also asking why the federal government has not been sufficiently alerted to the condition of the Ilorin-Omu-Aran-Obbo-Ille-Eruku section.

For commuters and communities along the route, the consequences of decades of neglect are clear: a vital economic corridor has become increasingly difficult and dangerous to use, while the collapse of the road continues to exact a heavy toll on lives, livelihoods and commerce.