Okene-Lokoja Highway: Standstill as bad road, accident paralyse movement

By Ismail M. Kabir

Our highways have been blocked since morning leaving the entire stretch of the road from Idakoyivo to FCE Okene in a standstill.

While many people blamed the gridlock on the large potholes around Nagazi axis of the Okene-Lokoja highway, others placed it squarely on the horrible accident involving a Dangote truck that crushed an unidentified woman to death at Okunchi area.

The woman whose mutilated body remains on the road as at the time of filing this report appeared to be heading to a church service when she met her untimely death.

Attempts by the youths in the area to vandalise the Dangote Cement truck was quickly contained by men of the Nigerian army deployed to the area.

Also, men from the Okene Unit of the Federal Road safety corps who were battling the exhausting traffic jam around FCE immediately re-deployed to the accident scene where the traffic jam has escalated beyond control.

People heading for various social events have resorted to trekking the distance as the long stretching traffic hinders smooth vehicular movement including commercial motorbikes popularly called Okada.

A woman who was summoned from the Cheribum and Seraphim Church in Enyinare Okene to identify the accident victim bursted into an uncontrollable wailing upon close observation of the body.

She said the victim lost her husband, Zacharia Odusola about two years ago.

Her wailing prevented newsmen from NTA and EbiraView from getting adequate information on the victim's identity.

She managed to inform the crowd that the woman hailed from Ososo in Edo state.

Not a single person in the mammoth crowd was willing to speak with reporters on the cause of the accident.

Our effort to draw the opinion of the Road safety officials on how they intend to contain the traffic was futile as they simply asked us to wait for their unit commander.

The soldiers took over the traffic control even as they could only pass the motorbikes while heavy duty and other commercial vehicles remain stranded as few managed to divert towards the Okene GRA road, enroute Eika.

As at the time of filing this report, there was no clear information as to the cause of the gory accident.