December 22, 2025
News | SUNTV Global Channel (Abuja)
Thousands of motorists travelling out of the Federal Capital Territory were on Monday morning stranded for hours on the Abuja–Lokoja Expressway, despite repeated assurances by the Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government that normal traffic flow had been restored on the critical highway.
SUNTV Global Channel gathered that travellers heading south were trapped in a massive gridlock on the Lokoja–Abuja axis, with vehicles barely moving across a stretch of less than five kilometres, effectively turning the expressway into a parking lot at the height of the Christmas travel rush.
As of about 6:30 a.m., traffic had completely collapsed, forcing families, commercial drivers, and long-distance travellers to spend the night inside their vehicles amid exhaustion, frustration, and uncertainty.
Road users who spoke to SUNTV Global Channel described the situation as chaotic, dehumanising, and avoidable, lamenting the absence of traffic officials, emergency responders, or visible construction personnel to manage the congestion.
“We slept on this road with children inside the car. No FRSC, no diversion, no contractor. This is suffering,” one stranded motorist told our correspondent.
Construction Sites Abandoned, No Traffic Control
Several motorists blamed the gridlock on ongoing road construction along the corridor, alleging that contractors had shut down operations for the Christmas holiday without providing traffic diversions, temporary relief routes, or personnel to manage traffic flow.
A video posted by a road user, Nda Aaron, and seen by SUNTV Global Channel, showed hundreds of vehicles — including trailers, luxury buses, and private cars — locked in stationary traffic stretching far into the distance.
Commuters said the recurring collapse of traffic on the Abuja–Lokoja Expressway during festive seasons highlights what they described as the Federal Government’s long-standing failure to proactively manage critical national infrastructure during peak travel periods.
Government Claims vs Reality On Ground
The renewed gridlock comes barely a day after the Federal Ministry of Works issued a statement claiming that free movement had been restored on the highway.
In the statement issued on Sunday by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Mohammed A. Ahmed, the ministry attributed an earlier traffic disruption to a standoff between truck drivers and military personnel over the weekend.
According to the ministry, the crisis reportedly started after a truck’s windscreen was smashed, prompting truck drivers to block part of the road in protest, leading to severe congestion for travellers heading towards Lokoja and other southern destinations.
The statement further claimed that the Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, ordered the immediate opening of completed sections of the expressway and approved emergency measures to ease the hardship faced by road users.
“The directive, which was promptly implemented on Sunday, 21st December 2025, has helped to decongest the affected corridor and improve traffic flow,” the ministry said.
The Federal Controller of Works in Kogi State, Engr. Patiko Isah, was also quoted as saying that traffic was restored at about 2:00 a.m. following collaboration with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and other security agencies.
However, the situation observed by SUNTV Global Channel on Monday morning sharply contradicted these official claims, as commuters remained trapped for hours with little to no movement.
Festive Travel Turns Into Nightmare
The recurring traffic collapse on the Abuja–Lokoja Expressway has once again raised questions about planning, accountability, and emergency response on one of Nigeria’s most important transport corridors, particularly during high-volume travel periods like Christmas.
While the Works Minister appealed to motorists to remain patient and cautious, many stranded travellers say patience has run out, insisting that assurances without visible action have become a familiar pattern.
As Nigerians continue their holiday journeys, the Abuja–Lokoja Expressway remains a stark reminder of the widening gap between government declarations and the daily realities faced by road users.
