A severe traffic jam on the Abuja-Kaduna highway caused significant disruptions for thousands of commuters travelling ahead of the Sallah holiday, with many stranded for over five to six hours on a route that typically takes about two and a half hours.
The congestion, which began just after Jere Junction in Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State, was attributed to an overturned fuel tanker, according to the Federal Road Safety Corps.
However, many road users say the deteriorating state of the highway, which connects Abuja to the northern parts of Nigeria, has become a consistent cause of accidents and delays—especially during festive periods.
The road, currently undergoing partial reconstruction, had one lane scraped for resurfacing. That section has since been abandoned following the termination of the contract with Julius Berger Construction Company, forcing drivers to navigate one-way traffic on a poorly maintained stretch.
Speaking on the ordeal, Ibrahim Muhammad expressed his frustration:
“I left Abuja early to meet up with an appointment in Kaduna, but I ended up spending hours between Jere and Katari. The logjam caused a standstill on the road as no car was able to move. We were told it was caused by an accident but I couldn’t see any car that fell on the road to suggest it was the main cause of the accident,” he said.
Ismail Idris, another traveller, blamed the situation on poor traffic management:
“But the annoying aspect of the situation is that you won’t see officials to control the traffic despite the fact that they know that there will a high volume of vehicles on the road. It is after people have spent hours that you will see FRSC officials. It took the intervention of military personnel stationed on the highway for the road become accessible to vehicular movements,” he said.
Fatima Adam, on her way to Kano, lamented the extended travel time:
“I was hoping I would be in Kano by 4pm, having left Abuja around 8 am, but it turned differently. We encountered the gridlock a few meters to Jere and it became a long wait. We were at one spot for over three hours before the soldiers came and cleared the road. We all had to come down from the vehicle for fresh air. Many travellers were stranded with some sitting on the floor. The situation was pathetic as children were crying under the sun, though it was not too hot. No one could tell the specific reason for the gridlock. I was also told that it was due to an accident, but I did not see any truck on the way.”
Similarly, Farouk Husain, who tried to avoid the rush by leaving Abuja later in the day, was also caught in the congestion.
“I left Abuja by 2pm deliberately with the belief that the gridlock would have disappeared by then. I had to spend over an hour when I got to Jere, but after I left there, the road was clear throughout the rest of the journey,” he said.
On the likely cause, he added, “I believe it’s the trailers on the road. They were too many and some of them also developed fault in the middle of the road. Ultimately, the deplorable state of the road cannot be excused too. That’s the genesis.”
In a statement posted on its official Facebook page, the FRSC confirmed the cause of the obstruction.
“There is an obstruction as a result of a road traffic crash that involved a tanker at about 2 kilometres after Jere, by Katari village on the Abuja-Kaduna expressway. Motorists plying that route are advised to drive with caution and be lane disciplined. The Corps operatives are already at the scene making frantic efforts to remove all obstructions hindering free flow of traffic,” the post read.
Later that day, at around 4:20pm, the agency announced that the blockage had been cleared.
“The earlier obstruction that led to a massive gridlock in Katari village on the Abuja-Kaduna expressway has been removed by personnel of the Corps, led by the Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed himself and the road is now free for vehicular and human movement. Motorists plying that route are advised to drive with caution, comply with all road traffic regulations and be lane disciplined to avoid recreating another gridlock. The Corps operatives have been detailed accordingly to ensure sustained free flow of traffic on the route,” the statement read.
Such traffic snarls have become common along the Abuja-Kaduna corridor, particularly during national holidays. On December 23, a similar jam was triggered by four heavy-duty trucks that broke down between Maje in Suleja and Izom in Gurara LGA of Niger State, affecting multiple highway routes, including Minna-Suleja and Abuja-Kaduna.
The ongoing reconstruction of the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano road is now in its seventh year. Originally awarded to Julius Berger, work on the road stalled due to a cost dispute. While significant progress was made on the Kaduna-Zaria-Kano stretch, the Abuja-Kaduna section remained largely untouched. The contract was revoked and later re-awarded to Infiouest (Nig.) Limited. The Federal Government split the remaining section into two parts for completion using rigid concrete pavement.
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, had earlier noted that only 45km of the 165km Abuja-Kaduna section had been completed. He later announced that the remaining 120km was awarded to Infiouest at a total cost of N252 billion for sections 1 and 3, with section 2 (82km x 2) awarded at N525 billion. Umahi expressed satisfaction with the quality of the concrete work already underway.
Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Works, Bello Muhammad Goronyo, last month confirmed that approximately six kilometres had been completed using reinforced rigid concrete pavement on phase one of the road. During an inspection tour, the minister praised the contractor’s performance and alignment with the Tinubu administration’s infrastructure agenda.
“The quality of work delivered so far reflects the president’s unwavering commitment to national development through robust infrastructure,” he stated.
In a related statement, the ministry’s spokesperson, Mohammed Ahmed, added, “The commitment of the workers is commendable. I salute their resilience and their support for Mr. president’s vision. The minister emphasised that once completed, the road will reduce travel time, improve safety, curb insecurity, enhance trade, and create employment opportunities.”
Commenting on the larger issue, construction project management expert Engr. Bola Mudashiru attributed festive gridlocks to inadequate infrastructure relative to Nigeria’s population.
“If you at look at the current roads and infrastructure we have, it keeps improving day by day but not at par with its population. If you have the existing roads, and they are not expanded, or you don’t have them multiplied, of course, when you have higher traffic, it is expected that you have traffic congestion and it is not peculiar to Nigeria. Even in developed countries, you have such. When you have a rush in a particular season, things like this will happen. But what developed nations are doing is to create more ways of travelling, not necessarily roads.
Most of our transportation, whether it is goods or persons, are through roads. It is those roads that cater for them in this region. If you have more rail, of course, you will have lesser people on the roads.
If you have an improvement on your existing infrastructure, of course, you will lessen the burden of traffic within cities.
If other state governments can do what Lagos is doing in terms of rail development, I think we would not have issues like this.
The more roads you have; the more rail lines you have, the more boats you have or ferry on the waterways, then the less traffic congestion you have,” he said.
Engr. Abddullahi Abdulkaree, a civil engineer, echoed similar concerns, stressing that over-reliance on poorly maintained road networks hinders free movement during holidays. He called on the government to swiftly restore and expand major highways across the country without increasing the burden on citizens.
