Commuters on the Keffi-Abuja expressway were left stranded on Monday after military officers barricaded the highway to conduct stop-and-search operations on vehicles entering the nation’s capital.
The soldiers set up a roadblock at Sani Abacha Barracks, just before the popular AYA roundabout.
Security agencies provided no prior warning about the blockade, which caused a gridlock stretching as far as Nyanya Bridge, over 12 kilometers from the checkpoint.
Many civil servants and traders who work in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) reside outside the city center in areas such as Nyanya, Karu, Maraba, and Masaka. After hours of standstill, many were forced to return home.
This incident occurred just three days before the planned nationwide protest against the current economic hardship in Nigeria. Youths are organizing the protest, set to begin on August 1, to address the rising cost of living and economic challenges in the country.
