Hundreds of passengers and motorists have been stranded for days along the Lokoja-Abuja highway following a prolonged gridlock caused by the deplorable condition of the road and a road accident at Bada.
The gridlock, which began on Thursday night, had persisted as of Saturday, leaving travellers and motorists trapped for hours on the busy highway.
A visit by our correspondent to the affected sections of the highway revealed that several vehicles had remained stuck since Thursday, while frustrated passengers were forced to abandon their vehicles and seek alternative means of reaching their destinations.
Some of the stranded passengers told LEADERSHIP that they were travelling from Kaduna to Imo State on Thursday when they became trapped in the traffic.
One of the passengers said the prolonged delay had disrupted their journey and left many travellers stranded for several hours.
As the traffic situation worsened, commercial motorcycle operators, popularly known as okada riders, cashed in on the crisis, offering alternative transportation to passengers desperate to escape the gridlock.
Passengers seeking to cross the River Niger Bridge from the Lokoja axis were reportedly charged as much as N6,000 per person by motorcycle operators.
Similar fares were demanded from passengers coming from the Abuja axis and seeking to cross the bridge.
The situation has reportedly created severe hardship for travellers, with many forced to trek considerable distances before boarding motorcycles or other available means of transportation.
Meanwhile, personnel of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), security agencies and other good Samaritans have been working round the clock to ease the congestion and restore the free flow of traffic.
The development has once again raised concerns over the worsening condition of the Lokoja-Abuja highway, one of the major road corridors linking the northern and southern parts of the country, particularly as the year-end travel season approaches.
