#EdoDecides24: Interstate Commuters Stranded At Auchi-Okene Highway

In the early hours leading to the Edo State governorship election, numerous interstate commuters found themselves stranded at the Jattu junction along the Benin-Auchi-Okene highway in Etsako West Local Government Area.

Naija News gathered that many of them were attempting to circumvent the scheduled movement restriction in place for the election.

Contrary to the widely anticipated 8 a.m. commencement of the restriction, security personnel had already blocked major routes by 7 a.m., leaving many travellers frustrated.

Reports from the scene indicate that officers from various security agencies, including the Nigerian Army, Police, Nigerian Immigration Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and other paramilitary bodies, were enforcing the early movement ban.

At Jattu junction, heavy-duty trucks, private vehicles, motorcycles, and pedestrians could be seen lined up in long queues, waiting for the restrictions to be lifted. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) also reported that most travellers had hoped to cross the state before the enforcement started.

Musa Adamu, a truck driver en route from Abuja to Delta, shared his experience with NAN, expressing his disbelief at the early blockade.

“I am coming from Abuja going to Delta and I had felt we could cross Edo before 8 a.m.

“I am surprised that on getting to Jattu junction, we were stopped by the military personnel who barricaded the road and refused us access,” he lamented.

Another stranded commuter, Hakeem Saliu, who departed from Benin City early in the morning, expressed his displeasure.

“The security personnel said that we should remain here until the election is over and that is unfair,” he remarked.

Several other commuters revealed they had ventured out merely to purchase food for breakfast or intended to vote before being caught off guard by the restrictions.

The unexpected early start of the blockade has left many individuals stuck, waiting for the electoral process to be completed before they can resume their journeys.