Insecurity: Umahi Seeks Creation Of Highway Patrol Unit

Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has called for the establishment of a Highway Patrol Unit in the Nigerian Police Force to ensure safety on federal roads.

He made the appeal when he received the inspector-general of police, Olatunji Disu, on a visit to the minister in Abuja.

Both leaders pledged closer collaboration to combat insecurity along major highways and protect critical road infrastructure projects across the country.

Umahi commended the police and other security agencies for protecting contractors and workers handling major federal road projects, particularly in areas facing security threats.

The minister said the security support had been crucial to the continued execution of projects such as the Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway, despite the challenges posed by insecurity in some parts of the country.

“If you did not do what you are doing to help us with the numerous projects the president is undertaking, together with other security chiefs and very cooperative national security advisers, it would have been totally impossible.

For example, the president wanted to finish the 120 km 2,240240 km three-lane roads in Sokoto this year.

“But we have  encountered a lot of security challenges, and without your assistance and combined teams of security officers, it would have been difficult to forge ahead.”

“He congratulated Disu on his appointment as Inspector-General of Police. He praised him for his effective leadership during a difficult period, noting that the police had demonstrated professionalism in crime detection and national security operations.

Umahi said a comprehensive highway security framework would be developed to include: the deployment of CCTV surveillance systems, solar-powered lighting, patrol vehicles, observation posts, drones and rapid response teams along critical transport corridors.

According to him, the initiative would begin with major highways across the six geopolitical zones, including the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Road, the Enugu-Onitsha corridor, the Eleme-Onne Road, and other strategic routes.

He revealed that CCTV infrastructure and monitoring centres had already been installed on sections of the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos, with police personnel currently operating from dedicated observation centres to improve response times to incidents.

The minister added that the Federal Government planned to incorporate security infrastructure into the concession arrangements for major highways, including designated rest areas, police checkpoints and truck parks.

The minister also proposed expanding the Federal Highway Patrol into a more robust security force dedicated solely to highway protection.

According to him, such a structure could be funded through tolling and concession arrangements on major federal roads.

Umahi further advocated for regulated private security partnerships under police supervision to reduce the burden on conventional policing and improve VIP protection services. “I” have two requests, number one is that we have a department that is the Federal Highway Patrol. You can expand that, you know, and make it very robust for this program because you don’t have enough police. It can be a very separate department where you can recruit people. Then we are tolling most of these routes, so we can sustain that very special department, with thousands of police-trained people within the corridor, with the income we are getting from these tolls.”

“He said the second request concerns the protection of VIPs. The

“M” idea is that we can approve private security outfits that will be very seriously under the training and recruitment of security agencies. And so, these people are trained by the companies, and they should be administratively headed where IG will put somebody who will monitor the activities of these people.”

“He stressed that fighting insecurity required collective responsibility from both government and citizens, urging Nigerians to support security agencies with credible information.

The Minister of Works also defended the President’s request for a loan, adding that the Federal Government was investing the money in roads and other infrastructure.

He argued that improved highways were essential for economic growth, commerce, national integration and security operations.

He noted that the administration was handling road projects worth trillions of naira across the country, including inherited projects and four flagship legacy corridors designed to stimulate economic development.

Earlier, the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, praised the Ministry of Works for embarking on transformative infrastructure projects that could open new economic opportunities and reduce crime.

“Y”, you are working on the dream of a nation. You are working on the economy of people yet unborn. Because roads do not just carry daily bread.