Motorists heading out for Christmas have been stranded for hours on the Lokoja–Abuja highway, where heavy gridlock stretched from Saturday into Sunday morning, just three days before Christmas.
Hundreds of travellers remain stuck on the corridor, one of the busiest holiday routes connecting northern and southern Nigeria.
Security operatives and officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps were deployed to ease movement. The congestion also comes days after the FRSC launched its nationwide “Operation Zero Tolerance” to curb crashes, enforce discipline and prevent gridlock during the festive rush.
In a statement dated December 20, Corps Marshal Shehu Mohammed ordered a 100 percent deployment of personnel, patrol teams and operational assets nationwide, warning that the agency would tolerate no negligence or road obstructions throughout the Christmas and New Year season.
The operation, which runs from December 15 to January 15, focuses on round-the-clock patrols, strict enforcement, emergency response and traffic management across major highways, especially gridlock-prone interstate routes such as Lokoja–Abuja.
Mohammed also issued zero-tolerance directives on mixed loading, distracted driving, drunk driving, overspeeding and dangerous overtaking. He warned that vehicles conveying passengers with goods or animals would be sanctioned, and stressed that FRSC patrol visibility must serve as a deterrent to violations.
The Corps Marshal urged construction firms working along major highways to clear bottlenecks, open carriageways and manage work-zone traffic effectively during peak travel, saying easing congestion would relieve public hardship.
He also called for collaboration with security agencies, emergency responders and transport unions, insisting that the success of Operation Zero would be measured by reduced crashes, fewer deaths, improved travel time and higher public confidence in road safety.
FRSC officials are continuing efforts to restore movement on the Lokoja–Abuja route as thousands of Nigerians journey home for the holidays.
