By Abdulmalik Jimoh
Days to the 2025 Christmas celebrations, a severe traffic jam has left motorists stranded on the Lokoja–Abuja highway.

The gridlock, which reportedly extended to the the Koton Karfe axis, has been attributed to two fallen trucks and the heavy volume of Christmas season traffic.
As expected, the congestion has left hundreds of holiday travelers stranded for hours, with some stuck since Saturday morning. 
The early signs of the traffic crisis were recorded on Friday, a situation that left hundreds of holiday travelers stranded for hours. By Saturday morning, more motorists were forced to a standstill.
According to a driver who explained that he had been on the road right from the morning period, said the gridlock was caused by two fallen trucks. The blockage he added made it difficult for free flow of vehicles from opposite lanes.

It was further gathered that motorists traveling from the Eastern parts of the country to the north as well as those from the North moving to other states and regions had spent two days on the road with no hope of intervention in sight .
Meanwhile, from Gegu to Abuja, the flow of traffic was with ease. But from Koton-Karfe to Lokoja there was a massive hold up.
The traffic jam created an opportunity for roadside traders to make brisk business, exploiting the helpless travelers in the process.

One travelers explained that since the jam occurred, people selling around that route doubled the price of their goods making it hard for people to buy anything.
A woman who was simply identified as Madam Peace , traveling from Lokoja to Abuja said she has to cancel her trip and return home when she found it difficult to go beyond that point.
According to her, she had to trek a long distance with her luggage before getting a bike. Madam peace also said during her period on the road , she noticed that a bag of water that is sold for N400 , rose to N800 while some energy drinks were sold for as high as N1000 per bottle.
Even at that, she explained that it was still even difficult to get water or anything to eat with your money.
In the tensed congestion, many good Samaritans made efforts to clear the road.
