With thousands of travellers spending a third consecutive day stranded on the critical Abuja-Lokoja highway, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has launched an emergency intervention to break the crippling gridlock. In a direct response to the crisis, Corps Marshal Shehu Mohammed ordered the immediate deployment of additional officers and tow trucks to the corridor on Sunday, 21 December 2025.
The deployment is part of a larger nationwide “Operation Zero Tolerance” campaign, aimed at enforcing traffic discipline during the peak end-of-year travel season. “The Corps Marshal has ordered the deployment of additional officers and tow trucks along the Abuja–Lokoja Road to ease the ongoing traffic gridlock and ensure swift removal of obstructions,” stated FRSC spokesperson Olusegun Ogungbemide.
The severe congestion, described as most intense around the Koton Karfe axis, is the result of a perfect storm of seasonal, infrastructural, and behavioural factors.
According to the FRSC, the primary causes are a significant increase in festive vehicular movement as travellers head home for the Christmas holidays and multiple, long-term construction points along the route which have narrowed available lanes. One frustrated traveller on social media questioned the perpetual nature of the work, asking what kind of construction could last over twenty years on a single road.
The situation is critically worsened by impatient and undisciplined drivers. The FRSC specifically cited rampant lane violations and motorists driving against traffic, especially around construction diversions, as a major aggravating factor. Compounding these persistent issues was an immediate trigger: reports indicated that two large trucks had fallen on the road, creating a complete blockage and bringing traffic to a standstill.
Travellers Endure “Extremely Distressing” Ordeal
The human cost of the gridlock has been severe. Motorists interviewed by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) reported being stuck on the road since early Saturday morning. “It is now 8 p.m., and I have been here since 7 a.m. with my family, heading to Enugu,” one stranded driver told the NTA.
On social media, the sentiment was one of anger and exhaustion. One user detailed spending over five hours at a standstill, while another lamented being trapped with no ability to move forward or reverse.
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The FRSC’s emergency deployment has a clear, two-pronged objective. The first is to enhance traffic control, with additional officers tasked with enforcing lane discipline and managing the flow of vehicles, particularly at bottleneck points. The second is to ensure swift clearance, with tow trucks on standby for the rapid removal of broken-down vehicles and other obstructions, like the reported fallen trucks, to restore the free flow of traffic.
Corps Marshal Shehu Mohammed has directly appealed for public cooperation. He urged motorists to comply with traffic rules and the instructions of FRSC personnel on the ground, stressing that this compliance is essential to resolving the delays. “Motorists travelling along the corridor are advised to cooperate with personnel on duty for smooth traffic flow,” spokesperson Ogungbemide reiterated.
This crisis is not an isolated incident for the Abuja-Lokoja highway, a vital artery connecting Northern and Southern Nigeria. As recently as August 2025, a similar gridlock occurred in the same Koton Karfe area, requiring the FRSC to collaborate with construction companies to open a second lane for relief. At that time, sector commander Kumar Tsukwam also identified lane violation and driver impatience as the core problems.
The current intervention aligns with the FRSC’s broader “Operation Zero Tolerance,” a high-impact nationwide special operation running from 15 December 2025 to 15 January 2026. The operation mandates 100% deployment of personnel and assets on critical corridors to enforce traffic laws, manage gridlocks, and respond rapidly to emergencies.
As the rescue mission continues, the FRSC has reassured the public of its commitment to continuous monitoring and sustained intervention on the route until normalcy is restored. For the travellers caught in the gridlock, the promise of movement cannot come soon enough.
