‘How we spent over six hours in Abuja-Kaduna expressway gridlock’

Motorists were stranded for more than six hours due to a traffic gridlock on Abuja-Kaduna Expressway on Saturday.

Mahmud Idris said he passed the night on the road due to the gridlock which he said was caused by two trailers that broke down at Diko, a community along the road.

Idris who said some of his passengers alighted and trekked to Kaduna Road said influx of traders at the Diko Market junction on the road also heightened the traffic gridlock.

Idris, a commercial driver that plies the road said he had expected to be in Abuja by midnight when he left Kaduna at about 10pm on Saturday.

“My passengers were complaining but there was nothing I could do. Some of them ended up sleeping while other came down and trekked. I got to Jabi Park by 4am on Sunday,” he said.

Another driver, Alhaji Adamu Muhammad said he got trapped in the traffic at about 3:45pm around Diko junction and did not leave until he got to Kaduna Road at about 8:30pm adding that the gridlock was unprecedented as the journey should have lasted two hours.

“Some people at the market were also affected. They were all trekking as the road was totally blocked,” said Abubakar Dogo, another motorist.

Isah Usman said the gridlock started at Tafa through Diko to Kaduna road adding that the faulty trailers parked by the roadside and on-going repairs on the road led to the gridlock.

However Muhammad Usman said the traffic was light and the road free yesterday.

“I just returned from Kaduna and the road was free though there is still one trailer that is spoilt but vehicles are passing freely,” he said.