The Abuja-Kaduna expressway, a transportation corridor under insecurity

The escalation of violent criminal activities including kidnapping, banditry, and herdsmen–farmers conflicts in Nigeria’s North West and North Central regions has had profound implications for the security and functionality of key transport corridors. Once regarded as a relatively safe route, the Abuja–Kaduna Expressway has, over the past few years, transformed into one of the nation’s most notorious hotspots for highway insecurity. Travellers along this corridor face heightened risks of harassment, intimidation, abduction, and lethal violence. Despite repeated military and paramilitary deployments, these threats have persisted, raising critical questions about the capacity and effectiveness of government-led security interventions. This study investigates the multidimensional impact of insecurity on Nigeria’s transport system, with a specific focus on the Abuja–Kaduna Expressway between 2021 and 2024. Employing a qualitative methodology rooted in the interpretivist research philosophy, data was collected through interviews with 13 commuters, one of whom is a serving army officer and triangulated with secondary sources including scholarly literature, credible media reports, and unpublished theses. Thematic analysis was utilised to distil recurrent patterns and narratives from the data, while Social Disorganisation Theory provided the theoretical lens for explaining the erosion of communal structures and its correlation with rising highway criminality. Findings reveal that infrastructural decay, escalating incidences of kidnapping and murder, and the pervasive atmosphere of fear and psychological trauma have significantly altered commuter behaviour, disrupted inter-city connectivity, and undermined socio-economic activities in the region. The study underscores the urgent need for a multi-layered response combining proactive security measures, community-based intelligence systems, and targeted road infrastructure rehabilitation in high-risk transport corridors. These interventions, if effectively implemented, could restore public trust, safeguard mobility, and enhance resilience against organised criminal networks on Nigeria’s highways.