Commuters and travelers in their thousands have been held at a standstill along the Abuja-Lokoja road in Kogi State.
According to DAILY POST, travelers in their numbers were held in the gridlock, which started immediately after Lokoja, stretching to a nearby town of Koton Karifi, after the Niger bridge.
Our correspondent reports that commuters have been held in the gridlock from 3 pm on Monday, and as of the time of filing this report, the road has not been cleared.
The gridlock started from the Lokoja axis of the Niger Bridge to the other end of the Bridge.
The gridlock made some travelers to abandon their vehicles.
Our correspondent, who was also held in the gridlock, observed that the situation was caused by flooding and a damaged articulated vehicle in Koton Karifi, a town after the Niger Bridge.
Commercial motorcycles trying to make brisk business charged commuters between N2,000 to N4,000 to ferry them across the Bridge.
Speaking with DAILY POST, a road user identified as Segun Odunlami, lamented the situation.
Odunlami said he has been in the gridlock since 4pm yesterday.
Traveling from Lagos to Abuja, the aggrieved commuter said: “We were told flood covered the road in Koton Karifi, which is after the Niger Bridge.
“The flood is responsible for the gridlock because vehicles are restricted to one lane; this is unbearable. I have never had this experience before in my life; we are just stuck here.”
Another commuter traveling from Akure to Abuja, added that the gridlock was further caused by an articulated vehicle that broke down in Koton Karifi due to the flood on the road.
“I’m traveling from Akure to Abuja and I have been here since 3pm yesterday. I met the traffic jam immediately after Lokoja, and we got to know that it was caused by flood that took over the road in Koton Karifi, after the Niger Bridge,” the commuter who wished to be anonymous said.
JomogNews reports that communities around the Niger Bridge are prone to perennial flooding.
