Escaping road insurgences in Nigeria

The safest Ways To Travel Home This-Escaping Kidnapping, Banditry, And Road Insurgences 

The Christmas season in Nigeria is beautiful, glowing lights, family reunions, village festivals, and the warm joy of home. But alongside this beauty lies a troubling reality many Nigerians cannot ignore: the nation’s worsening road insecurity. Kidnappings, banditry, one-chance operations, highway ambushes, and night-time robberies have turned what should be a happy journey home into something many now fear.

As millions begin making plans to travel this December, the roads are no longer just about distance, they are about survival.

At ESN (Everyday Stories Network), we have gathered the most powerful, practical, life-saving travel strategies to help every Nigerian reach home safely this festive season.

This is not regular advice. These are lessons shaped by real stories, real victims, real events.

Read it. Share it. Save a life.

1. DO NOT TRAVEL AT NIGHT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE

Night travel used to be a shortcut; today, it is a straight line into danger. Most kidnappings, highway robberies, bandit sightings, and vehicle hijackings occur between 6:30 pm and 5:30 am. At night, police checkpoints disappear, civilian security retreats, visibility drops to zero, and criminals take over.

If it is not daylight, do NOT start the journey. If your vehicle breaks down in the dark, your risk doubles instantly.

2. TRAVEL IN A CONVOY, SAFETY IN NUMBERS

Bandits rarely attack a group of vehicles traveling together. If possible, team up with neighbors, co-workers, travelers at the park, or church members.

Leave the park only when the bus is full, not with 3-4 passengers. If driving your own car, follow other vehicles and avoid being isolated. A road filled with strangers can become a circle of survival when people move together.

3. USE ONLY VERIFIED TRANSPORT COMPANIES

Avoid random roadside vehicles. Choose Peace Mass, GUO, Young Shall Grow, ABC Transport, Cross Country, God Is Good (GIGM/GIG Logistics). These companies offer manifest registration, functional tracking, standard buses, and Professional drivers. And some now use live location monitoring and in-transit escorts on high-risk routes.

Remember, the cheapest bus is sometimes the most dangerous.

4. SHARE YOUR LIVE LOCATION WITH 3-5 TRUSTED PEOPLE

Before you travel, Charge your phone fully, Carry a power bank, Turn on “Share Live Location” on WhatsApp or Google Maps. Let someone follow your movement from start to finish.

If your vehicle leaves the highway or stops unusually long, your people will know instantly.

5. AVOID KNOWN BLACKSPOTS & HIGH-RISK ROUTES

Some routes are currently not safe due to recurring attacks. If you must travel through them, do it in broad daylight and with a full vehicle, not alone.

Safer alternatives often exist. Adding 1-2 extra hours to your journey could mean adding years to your life.

6. DO NOT SLEEP DEEPLY IN COMMERCIAL VEHICLES

Stay alert. Observe the driver, other passengers, suspicious stops, sudden route changes. 

Passengers have been kidnapped because, the driver colluded with attackers, a passenger was secretly part of a gang, everyone in the vehicle slept off.

If you must rest, do it with one eye open, literally.

7 DO NOT ENTER ANY VEHICLE THAT FEELS WRONG

Listen to your instincts. If the driver looks intoxicated, the passengers are behaving strangely, the bus refuses to fill up, they want to pick random people on the road, the mirrors or plate numbers are removed. Get down immediately. Trust your spirit. 

Danger smells,  and your soul often perceives it before your mind does.

8. LIMIT PHONE USE & KEEP VALUABLES HIDDEN

On highways, especially in high-risk zones: Do NOT flaunt phones, do NOT bring out iPhones unnecessarily, do NOT eat loudly or draw attention, keep laptops and jewelry out of sight.

Criminals observe buses before striking. Do not mark yourself as a “valuable target.”

9 AVOID STOPPING TO BUY FOOD ON THE ROAD

Many kidnappers monitor popular “stop spots” along highways.

If you must eat, buy snacks from the park before leaving, follow the driver to designated stations, avoid isolated or poorly lit areas. 

Never wander off alone.

10. TRAVEL EARLY, LIKE 5AM EARLY

Starting early gives you maximum daylight, cleaner roads, less traffic, more security presence, and higher reaction time to danger.

By 3pm, you want to be close to your destination, not halfway into a dangerous forest corridor.

1-1. LET SOMEONE KNOW YOUR DRIVER, BUS PLATE NUMBER & PARK

Before the vehicle moves, send driver’s name, bus registration number, park name, time of departure and a photo of the bus (if possible). 

If anything happens, these tiny details become life-saving evidence.

1-2. IF DRIVING YOUR OWN CAR, NEVER DRIVE ALONE

At least two people should be in the vehicle. Also, fill your tank, check your tires, install “Track My Car” apps, avoid stopping except in safe towns, lock your doors at all times, slow down around checkpoints, not isolated corners.

Your car should not go silent or off radar.

1-3, KEEP AN EMERGENCY PLAN READY

Have, airtime, backup phone, emergency contacts, your tracking pin memorized, a small amount of cash stored separately, a secret distress signal (code word) for family. 

If you ever feel endangered, simply saying “please call uncle John” may be enough to alert your people, if that’s the code.

1-4, PRAY, BUT ALSO PREPARE

Nigeria requires both faith and wisdom. Pray before you travel, but also act smart, alert, and intentional.

Angels work, but bandits also do not sleep.

                             Final Message:

Christmas Is Beautiful, But Only If You Arrive Alive. Your family wants you home, your village is waiting, your mother is preparing the Christmas rice, your siblings are eager to see you… But none of this matters if you do not get home safely. Let this December be a season of joy, reunion, laughter, and gratitude. Not tragedy, loss, or regret. Travel smart. Travel early. Travel with sense. Arrive alive. Always.