Thousands of travellers heading to northern Nigeria for the Eid-el-Kabir celebrations have remained stranded for several hours along the Abuja–Kaduna Highway following a massive traffic gridlock that has persisted since Monday.
The severe congestion, which affected both private and commercial vehicles, was attributed to increased festive travel, ongoing road construction and heavy rainfall disrupting movement along the busy corridor.
Many commuters described exhausting experiences as journeys that normally take less than three hours turned into all-day ordeals.
“Flight from Kano to Lagos is about half a million naira, which I can’t afford. I decided to travel by road, and this is where I ended up, spending more than six hours,” a stranded traveller, Muhammad Musa, said.
Another commuter, Kabiru Abdullahi, lamented the slow pace of movement on the highway.
“Since yesterday, we have been on the road from Abuja to Kano, and we have not even reached Jere because of the heavy traffic gridlock,” he said.
Frustration also spilled onto social media as travellers criticised the poor state of the road and the government’s inability to complete repairs despite years of complaints.
A social media user, Aboubacar Sani Sabo, wrote: “Three days and the Abuja–Kaduna Highway has been in gridlock. You can leave Kaduna by 5 a.m. and arrive in Abuja by 7:30 p.m. using a private car and not public transport. Government couldn’t fix that road. Shame!”
The Abuja–Kaduna Highway remains one of Nigeria’s busiest and most strategic roads, linking the Federal Capital Territory to several northern states. However, commuters have repeatedly complained about worsening traffic congestion, deteriorating road conditions and insecurity along the route.
In response to the latest gridlock, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) issued a travel advisory urging motorists to use the Kachia–Bwari route as an alternative.
The agency explained that the traffic build-up resulted from the surge in vehicular movement ahead of the Sallah celebrations, combined with ongoing road construction activities and rainfall affecting traffic flow.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government directed the immediate reopening of all sections of the Abuja–Kaduna–Kano Road currently under construction to ease the hardship faced by travellers.
Minister of Works, David Umahi, issued the directive to the contractor handling the project, Infiouest Nigeria Limited, as part of emergency measures to reduce congestion and improve safety during the festive period.
According to a statement by the minister’s Senior Special Assistant on Media, Francis Nwaze, the decision became necessary to ensure smoother vehicular movement for the large number of holiday travellers expected on the route.
The statement also disclosed that an earlier accident along the highway, which contributed to the blockage, had been cleared to restore traffic flow.
