Traffic jam worsens at Abuja military checkpoint
Traffic snarl along the KugboNyanya-Mararaba expressway leading into Abuja city centre has worsened due to a military checkpoint that was mounted after last week’s deadly blast at Nyanya.
People residing in Nyanya, Karu, Jikwoyi, Mararaba and Masaka said they spent the Easter celebrations within their areas in order not to be caught-up in the traffic jam.
A resident of Karu, Mr Ikechukwu Kanayo, said his son complained of severe stomachache on Saturday night and he tried to take him to the National Hospital the next morning but spent about an hour at Karu roundabout because of the traffic gridlock caused by the checkpoint.
He said he had to turn back and take his child to a private hospital for treatment.
Friday Solomo, a Nyanya resident, said he normally takes his family to the amusement park in Abuja city during festive periods but had to cancel his plan this year due to the traffic jam.
Simeon Kola, a motorist, said when the checkpoint was first mounted at Nyanya the next day after the blast, the traffic jam extended for several kilometres up to Masaka in Nasarawa State, which made many people to shun work on that day.
He said the situation got a bit better when the checkpoint was shifted to Kugbo, as the traffic jam now extends to Nyanya Bridge and Karu site.
Other motorists spoken to complained that the traffic jam will not give room for emergency cases, especially when it concerns life, as the three-lane Nyanya to AYA expressway is being reduced to one lane when motorists are approaching the checkpoint.
A commuter suggested for the use of bomb detecting devices on such roads instead of checkpoints, adding that such traffic jams could be used as targets by terrorists.
She said the gridlock will worsen on working days as a result of the heavy traffic experienced from that axis.