Holiday Travelers Trapped in Massive Lokoja–Abuja Highway Gridlock

Thousands of motorists and commuters have been caught in a grueling traffic stalemate on the Lokoja–Abuja highway as the annual Christmas rush begins to peak. The congestion, which has left vehicles stranded for several hours, transformed one of Nigeria’s most critical arterial roads into a sprawling parking lot this Sunday, testing the patience of travelers heading toward the northern and southern parts of the country.

Reports from the scene indicate that the bottleneck is most severe around the Koton Karfe axis, a notorious stretch that often becomes a flashpoint for traffic woes during the festive season. The gridlock has created a ripple effect, with tailbacks extending several kilometers and leaving hundreds of passenger buses and private cars immobilized under the sweltering heat.

The exact cause of the standstill remains a subject of debate among frustrated road users. Multiple eyewitnesses reported that the chaos was triggered by two heavy-duty trucks that lost control and overturned on the highway, effectively sealing off the main carriage way. The fallen vehicles, which have yet to be fully evacuated, have forced drivers into a single-lane crawl, causing a massive backlog of traffic.

However, other commuters pointed to a more systemic issue, blaming the slow pace of ongoing road rehabilitation works for the perennial nightmare. Large sections of the highway are currently under repair, with diversions and narrow passages creating natural choke points. Travelers argued that the combination of construction barriers and the sudden surge in holiday volume was a recipe for the current disaster.

Desperation has led many drivers to take extreme measures to escape the blockage. Several smaller vehicles were seen veering off the asphalt to navigate dusty, unpaved off-road routes through nearby bushes and local communities. While these illegal bypasses offered a temporary reprieve for some, they also contributed to the confusion as vehicles attempted to merge back into the main stream further down the road.

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and other security agencies have deployed teams to the area in an urgent bid to restore order. Officers were seen at the Koton Karfe bottleneck directing traffic and attempting to coordinate the removal of the obstructed trucks. Despite their presence, the sheer volume of vehicles has made the task of easing the congestion a slow and arduous process.

For many families traveling for the Christmas holidays, the delay has turned a routine journey into an endurance test. The Lokoja–Abuja road serves as a vital link between the Federal Capital Territory and the southern states, and any disruption on this route invariably affects thousands of people. Food and water vendors have begun to capitalize on the situation, weaving through the lines of stationary cars to serve exhausted passengers.

As nightfall approaches, concerns about security have also begun to rise among those stuck in the more isolated sections of the highway. Travelers are calling on the government and relevant contractors to expedite the road works and ensure that heavy-duty towing trucks are stationed at strategic points to clear accidents more rapidly during this high-traffic period.

The gridlock serves as a stark reminder of the infrastructure challenges that continue to plague Nigeria’s highway network, particularly during peak travel windows. For now, those caught in the Koton Karfe crawl can only hope for a breakthrough in the coming hours as emergency teams work to clear the path.