A severe and exhausting traffic gridlock on the Lokoja–Abuja highway has dragged into its fourth day, trapping thousands of Nigerians in hours-long and overnight standstills and turning what should be a festive Christmas journey into a nightmare of frustration, exhaustion, and anger. The congestion, which began on Friday evening, December 19, 2025, has crippled one of Nigeria’s most critical transport corridors at the peak of holiday travel, once again exposing chronic weaknesses in road infrastructure, traffic management, and institutional coordination.
From the Koton Karfe axis through Murtala Bridge to Gegu, the highway has been reduced to a near-parking lot, clogged with articulated trucks, commercial buses, private vehicles, and stranded families—including children, the elderly, and sick passengers—many of whom spent nights on the road with little access to food, water, or sanitation. What should be a few hours’ drive between Abuja and Lokoja stretched into 10, 15, and even 24-hour ordeals for unlucky travelers.
Multiple eyewitness accounts and official confirmations point to a toxic mix of causes behind the chaos. Driver impatience and indiscipline played a major role, with vehicles forcing their way into oncoming lanes and completely blocking traffic flow. Truck drivers, angered by delays and alleged confrontations with security personnel, reportedly parked across sections of the highway, effectively shutting it down. Broken-down vehicles were abandoned on narrow stretches of road, while ongoing construction works—particularly around Koton Karfe—created bottlenecks that could not absorb the massive holiday traffic volume.
As public outrage mounted, the Kogi State Government, the Federal Road Safety Corps, the military, the police, and other security agencies moved in to contain the situation. Personnel were deployed across key flashpoints, traffic control points were established from Murtala Bridge to Gegu, and tow trucks were mobilized to remove obstructing vehicles. At least four fallen trucks were towed away, while efforts continued to identify and fix the most critical bad sections of the road contributing to the logjam.
FRSC Sector Commander in Kogi State, Tenimu Etuku, described the situation as deeply unfortunate, especially given its timing just days before Christmas, when Nigerians traditionally travel in large numbers to reunite with family. Kogi State Security Adviser, Jerry Omodara, echoed similar sentiments, assuring the public that all hands were on deck and that additional measures had been deployed to restore free movement as quickly as possible.
However, a widening gap has emerged between official assurances and the lived reality on the ground. On December 21, the Federal Ministry of Works, under Minister David Umahi, announced that traffic had been restored after completed sections of the road were opened and an alleged blockade by truck drivers was resolved. Yet by December 22—and continuing into December 23—travelers, journalists, and social media users were still reporting near-total standstill in multiple locations. Even state broadcaster NTA shared visuals confirming that congestion persisted well beyond the government’s declaration of “normal flow.”
Many stranded motorists and transport operators have questioned why diversion routes were not fully opened or properly managed before peak travel began, and why enforcement agencies allowed trucks to overwhelm a highway already weakened by construction and poor road conditions. Others argue that the crisis is not an accident but a predictable outcome of Nigeria’s failure to fix strategic highways, regulate heavy-duty vehicles, and enforce traffic discipline—issues that resurface every festive season with depressing regularity.
As of Tuesday, December 23, there are still no credible, widespread reports confirming that traffic has been fully cleared along the Lokoja–Abuja corridor. Authorities continue to urge patience, while advising travelers to seek real-time updates from the FRSC and local sources before embarking on the journey. For many Nigerians already trapped on the road, those words offer little comfort.
Beyond the immediate suffering, the Lokoja–Abuja gridlock stands as a stark symbol of deeper systemic problems. A single highway failure has once again disrupted commerce, endangered lives, and stolen precious holiday moments from thousands of families. Until Nigeria treats road infrastructure, traffic enforcement, and transport planning as matters of national urgency rather than seasonal firefighting exercises, these annual travel disasters will remain a tragic tradition.
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