ADVERTISEMENT
  • The Membership Club
  • PT Hausa
  • About Us
  • Advert Rates
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
Thursday, April 15, 2021
Premium Times Nigeria
  • Home
  • COVID-19
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Opinion
  • Health
    • News Reports
    • Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Health Specials
    • Features
    • Events
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Research & Innovation
    • Data & Infographics
    • Special Reports/Features
    • Investigations
    • Interviews
    • Markets
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects
    • Parliament Watch
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • AGAHRIN
  • Home
  • COVID-19
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Opinion
  • Health
    • News Reports
    • Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Health Specials
    • Features
    • Events
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Research & Innovation
    • Data & Infographics
    • Special Reports/Features
    • Investigations
    • Interviews
    • Markets
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects
    • Parliament Watch
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • AGAHRIN
Premium Times Nigeria
BUA Group Ad BUA Group Ad BUA Group Ad
ADVERTISEMENT
Abuja-Kaduna gridlock as tanker drivers blocked the highway.

Abuja-Kaduna gridlock as tanker drivers blocked the highway. [PHOTO CREDIT: Mohammed Lere]

Abuja-Kaduna Gridlock: Thousands of travellers spend the night on road

byMohammed Lere
August 10, 2019
2 min read

Despite the reopening of the Kaduna-Abuja road, as announced by the Kaduna State Government, thousands of road users passed the night on the road as the gridlock persisted.

The Kaduna-Abuja road was blocked by angry tanker drivers in the early hours of Friday.

The drivers insisted that Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna meet with them before they remove their vehicles.

The drivers’ protest followed the killing of one of them by a police officer allegedly for refusing to pay N500 bribe.

Hours after the gridlock started on Friday, the Kaduna State commissioner of internal affairs, Samuel Aruwan, said the state government has reached a truce with the tanker drivers.

Mr Aruwan said the road has been cleared for free movement and the state government has sent a delegation to condole with the family of the bereaved.

Despite the assurance of the Kaduna government, however, thousands of commuters were still stranded on the road.

A PREMIUM TIMES reporter, who was caught up in the gridlock and spent the night with other commuters, on the road, described it as a lifetime experience.

Mohammed Lere’s vehicle arrived at the gridlock at about 6:30 p.m. on Friday and only arrived Kaduna on Saturday morning.

RelatedNews

Five kidnapped forestry college students regain freedom

Armed bandits attack four Kaduna communities, kill eight people

Five kidnapped Kaduna college students rescued – Official

El-Rufai denies appointing intermediaries to negotiate with bandits

Travellers’ Experiences

Some travellers who spoke to our reporter said this was their worst experience ever on the road.

Malam Hafiu, who was travelling from Enugu to Sokoto, described it as a disaster.

Dangote adbanner 728x90_2 (1)

“This is really a disaster for me. I never experienced this type of gridlock on an express road like this. We came and met this lockdown at about 3 p.m. on Friday. Nobody was moving. Thousands of cars were stranded.

“Only in my car, two little girls fainted. Children were crying in the middle of nowhere,” he said.

A corps member, Elizabeth, told PREMIUM TIMES that she left Abuja for Kano to spend the Sallah break with her family.

“As we speak now I am so scared because it is not about just the gridlock, the road is notoriously known for banditry and kidnapping and here we are, free for kidnappers to feast on. I have been praying since we fell into this trap,” she said.

Another traveller, who identified himself as Simon, said the message by the Kaduna commissioner that the road had been cleared deceived him to embark on his journey.

“When I read on the news that the state has intervened and the road is free, I thought it was true.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Look at me now, I would not have made the trip till Saturday,” he said.

Many travellers complained of hunger and lack of water to drink during the traffic jam.

A journey of two hours eventually became about 12 hours for many of the motorists, many of whom eventually got to Kaduna on Saturday morning.

Governor Nasir El-Rufai, who participated in clearing the gridlock, has thanked travellers for their patience and perseverance.

He once again commiserated with the family of the driver that was killed, saying the killing of the driver as a most unfortunate incident that must be thoroughly investigated. He welcomed the arrest of a police officer in connection with the case, assuring that the state government is awaiting the result of the investigation, the state government said in a statement.

7ac06ae2-c653-42d4-94e2-8bc9803105b9
4847ca37-43c8-4d10-89b9-706506022f47
7823435c-be76-46d4-aada-4f723a7ff096
e1728232-fec7-4d45-b036-dc9cb4d216de
79790840-7562-4c6d-a55e-f0430bd172b6

“The governor apologised for the distress stranded commuters endured due to the road blockage,” the statement said. “He said that the reaction of the drivers who protested the killing of their colleague by blocking the highway amounted to unlawfully inflicting distress on innocent citizens. The consequence of the blockage was so so severe that it took several hours for the gridlock to clear, even after the barricades had been removed and the road opened.”

  • WhatsApp
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print
  • Telegram
  • More
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Pocket

Support PREMIUM TIMES' journalism of integrity and credibility

Good journalism costs a lot of money. Yet only good journalism can ensure the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy, and a transparent government.

For continued free access to the best investigative journalism in the country we ask you to consider making a modest support to this noble endeavour.

By contributing to PREMIUM TIMES, you are helping to sustain a journalism of relevance and ensuring it remains free and available to all.

Donate


TEXT AD: To advertise here . Call Willie +2347088095401...


JOIN THE CONVERSATION

  • Disqus (7)
premiumtimes



PT Mag Campaign AD

Previous Post

EPL: Liverpool crush Norwich in season-opener

Next Post

Floods destroy 300 houses in Yobe

Mohammed Lere

Mohammed Lere

More News

foodstuffs

Food prices highest in Rivers, Niger, Gombe in March

April 15, 2021
Food items in a market

Nigeria inflation hits 18.17% amid high food prices

April 15, 2021
A Sagbo Kodji man takes an early morning wash using well water. Because well water is not clean, it has to be left for the dirt in it to settle before it can be used. [PHOTO CREDIT: Nengi Nelson]

SPECIAL REPORT: Exploitation, eviction threat ‘killing’ residents of a Lagos island

April 15, 2021
A medical official performs a throat swab on a resident of Mabushi in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory Abuja as part of the community testing for COVID-19… on Wednesday, April 15, 2020. [Photo: Sodiq Adelakun/Channels TV]

Nigeria’s COVID-19 infections reach 164,000

April 15, 2021
Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed [PHOTO CREDIT: @FinMinNigeria]

Obaseki lied, FG didn’t print N60 billion for FAAC allocation – Minister

April 14, 2021
Rochas Okorocha [PHOTO CREDIT: @realRochas]

Why ex-Imo governor, Rochas Okorocha, is still in detention

April 14, 2021
Next Post
Yobe on map

Floods destroy 300 houses in Yobe

Amethyst Gemstone

Why Nigeria is not benefiting from $300 billion global gemstone market -- Experts

Discussion about this post

Search

#EndSARS: Latest Updates




Polaris Bank


JAIZ Ad


Explore Akwa Ibom Ad


Explore Akwa Ibom Ad


Access Bank Ad


NITDA Ad





Glo Ad

Subscribe to News via Email

Enter your email address and receive notifications of news by email.

Join 1,651,625 other subscribers.

Advertisement






netherland biz school Advert



Zenith Advert

ADVERTISEMENT

Our Digital Network

  • PT Hausa
  • Election Centre
  • Human Trafficking Investigation
  • Centre for Investigative Journalism
  • National Conference
  • Press Attack Tracker
  • PT Academy
  • Dubawa
  • LeaksNG
  • Campus Reporter

Resources

  • Oil & Gas Facts
  • List of Universities in Nigeria
  • LIST: Federal Unity Colleges in Nigeria
  • NYSC Orientation Camps in Nigeria
  • Nigeria’s Federal/States’ Budgets since 2005
  • Malabu Scandal Thread
  • World Cup 2018
  • Panama Papers Game
  • Our Digital Network
  • About Us
  • Resources
  • Projects
  • Data & Infographics
  • DONATE

All content is Copyrighted © 2020 The Premium Times, Nigeria

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • COVID-19
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Research & Innovation
    • Data & Infographics
    • Special Reports/Features
    • Investigations
    • Interviews
    • Markets
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • Parliament Watch
    • AGAHRIN
  • Opinion
  • PT Hausa
  • The Membership Club
  • Dubawa
    • Dubawa NG
  • About Us
    • Advert Rates
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Digital Store
  • DONATE

All content is Copyrighted © 2020 The Premium Times, Nigeria

Our website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.