Nigeria: Artist treks from Akoko-Edo to Benin in protest of bad roads, kidnappings

By Zuleihat Owuiye, Mamos Nigeria

Benin City – In a bold act of protest, 45-year-old artist Balogun Omokhafe, popularly known as Hakuzion, has completed a four-day trek from Ekpesa in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area to Benin City, Edo State, to draw attention to the deplorable condition of the Igarra–Ibillo section of the Auchi–Ibillo Road and rising cases of kidnapping in the area.

Omokhafe described the road as a danger zone, saying it has become a hub for kidnappers due to its poor condition. He claimed over 100 people have been abducted along the route, with many lives lost. Among the victims, he highlighted the unresolved disappearance of Okasime Olowojoba, the Labour Party Chairman of Ward 1, Akoko-Edo, who has been missing for more than four months following his abduction.

“I began walking from Ibillo, but heavy rainfall forced me to take a vehicle to Auchi. From there, I resumed the journey on foot all the way to Benin,” he told journalists on his arrival.

Omokhafe said the journey was risky, but his concern for his people outweighed any fear:

“You can’t travel on that road and confidently say goodbye to your family—you might not come back. That’s how dangerous it is. What we are facing in Akoko-Edo is bigger than my fear.”

He urged Governor Godwin Obaseki to intervene urgently by rehabilitating the road, arguing that better infrastructure would help curb criminal activities.

“I know the governor is working hard—I saw evidence of development along the way. But we need him to focus on this road too. Repairing it will make it harder for kidnappers to operate.”