It's a chaotic situation Monday morning across the suburbs and the city centre of the Federal Capital Territory as the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest spearheaded by human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, has partly ground business activities in Abuja.
Long stretches of traffic gridlocks were recorded as early as 7 a.m. across major roads leading to the heart of the city, such as the Abuja-Kubwa expressway, Abuja-Keffi highway,
Military checkpoints dotted these roads at various intervals, scrutinising motorists and their passengers as well as preventing persons suspected to be going into town to join the protest from entry.
Commuters were largely at the receiving end as they were stranded for hours at various bus stops and junctions, as there were no commercial or private vehicles to convey them to their places of work.
Motorists were also seen reversing back to their homes on sighting the chaotic gridlock and armed uniform personnel, while those who were yet to leave their homes decided to take a rest.
At the city centre, particularly around the Federal secretariat and the three arm zone, a large number of commuters are trekking to find their way to their various destinations as all the roads and offices are shut down.
Tension in Satellite Towns
A large crowd of commuters was stranded on the roadside around the Ushafa bridge, in a frantic effort to board vehicles, which, unfortunately, were not forthcoming.
The situation in Gwagwalada remained relatively calm as normal activities continued, with okada riders and vehicles moving freely across the town.
In Gwagwalada metropolis, most shops owned by the Igbo community remained under lock and key, particularly along the usually busy Park Road, where business activities are completely grounded.
Only a few traders were seen hanging around their closed shops.
However, other establishments such as banks, fuel stations, and schools — both public and private — were open and attending to customers and students.
At Sokale, security operatives set up a joint security checkpoint at the popular Sokale Roundabout.
This resulted in traffic gridlock as motorists were made to use just a single lane, detour, or simply return home.
Commercial motorists took advantage of the situation to jack up transportation fares.
At the Nyanya section of the popular Abuja-Keffi highway, passengers were stranded for hours at various bus stops and junctions with no commercial or private vehicles in sight for them to board.
