The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Niger State has said that an articulated vehicle accident and road collapse were responsible for the two days gridlock on Minna-Suleja road.
Corps Commander Joel Dagwa, Sector Commander FRSC in the state, who made this known on Thursday in Minna, said the gridlock lasted from Wednesday to Thursday.
“The Niger state command of the FRSC wishes to advise motorists plying Minna- Suleja road to drive with utmost caution and patience.
“This is in view of the challenges being experienced on the route, especially between Chanchaga bridge and beyond,” he said.
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Dagwa explained that the problem started on Wednesday when a articulated vehicle with fuel had a lone accident, fell on its side near College of Education, Minna and blocked one side of the dual carriage way.
He said that the relevant government agencies have since evacuated the fuel and removed the vehicle.
The Sector Commander said that a heavy downpour on Tuesday night at Gidan Biri, 10 kilometres away from Minna which resulted in the collapse of a section of the Minna-Suleja road also contributed to the buildup of the two day gridlock.
“This led to serious buildup of traffic on both sides of the double carriage way, extending from Gidan Biri to the military cantonment in Minna,” he said.
He assured road users that the state Ministry of Works and other relevant agencies had mobilised to the spot to fix the failed portion of the road.
Dagwa therefore advised road users to go through alternate routes such as the Bida-Agaie-Lambata and Gwada-Kwakuti roads in order to reduce the pressure on the Minna-Lambata corridor.
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The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) observed that the many bad spots on the Minna-Suleja road resulted in the breakdown of many vehicles, especially heavy-duty vehicles.
NAN reports that the issue also affected socio-economic activities in Minna metropolis and environment as civil servants and business men and women stayed at home or got to work late.
Malam Kabiru Ibrahim, a tanker driver with registration number, Abuja ABC 523 XH told NAN that he was conveying fuel from Lagos to Minna.
“I have being on this holdup for 9 hours now since yesterday we entered Minna,” he said.
Mr. Rufus Ejiofor, a resident of Chanchaga who trades at Minna main market simply said, “you can see for yourself, since there is no commercial vehicle here, I will trek to the town before taking a motorcycle to the market.” (NAN)
