Lawyer Leads Outcry Against Kura Chairman’s Highway Median Steps, Calls for Action
By Ahmad Tijjani Abdul
KANO — A human rights lawyer, Abba Hikima, alongside several concerned citizens, on Monday called on relevant authorities to dismantle concrete steps allegedly constructed on the median of the Kano–Zaria highway by the Chairman of Kura Local Government Area, Hon. Rabiu Abubakar Sulaiman, popularly known as Babina Karfi, to ease pedestrian crossing.
Photographs showing the council chairman posing beside the newly constructed steps on the federal highway circulated widely on social media, prompting calls for urgent intervention by the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the Federal Ministry of Works over what critics described as a potential safety hazard.
The development followed an earlier social media post by one Jamilu Na Babina, who praised the chairman for the initiative, saying it was intended to help women, particularly mothers, cross the highway more conveniently because of the height of the concrete median.
According to the post, the intervention was designed to improve pedestrian movement and enhance public convenience, especially for women living in the area.
However, the project quickly drew criticism from road users and public commentators, who argued that constructing steps on the median of a high-speed federal highway could encourage pedestrians to cross at unsafe locations and increase the risk of fatal accidents.
Among those who reacted was Abba Hikima, who urged the relevant authorities to immediately remove the structure and take appropriate action to prevent what he and other critics described as a “death trap.”
Several commentators also appealed to motorists to exercise extra caution while driving along the affected section of the highway pending action by the appropriate authorities.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Federal Ministry of Works, which is responsible for federal highways, nor the Federal Road Safety Corps had issued an official response to the controversy.