Motorists groan as soldiers block Abuja-Keffi road

Motorists plying the Abuja-Keffi Expressway were on Wednesday left stranded in a gridlock caused by a stop-and-search operation on vehicles by military officers.

Many civil servants and traders who work in Abuja and live outside the city centre in places such as Nyanya, Karu, Mararaba and Masaka were forced to return home after hours of standstill.

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Witnesses said the soldiers barricaded the road before the Kugbo section as early as 4am and that the blockade remained till 2pm.

A witness said, “This is about 2pm. I have been here for more than three hours and I have not covered five kilometres. One can be on a spot for about 40 minutes, and then it moves slowly and stops again.”

There have been growing concerns about security in the FCT with reports of infiltration by terrorists, bandits and other criminals fleeing their bases from other parts of the country. Locals in Kuje and Abaji area councils had reported the setting up of camps in forests in their communities by the bandits.

It would also be recalled that gunmen on Tuesday morning invaded the University of Abuja (UniAbuja) staff quarters in Giri and abducted some staff.