VEHICULAR movement was brought to a halt yesterday along the busy Abuja-Lokoja highway after trailer drivers blocked the road in protest over the alleged assault of one of their colleagues by soldiers.
The incident reportedly began around 11:30 a.m. when a trailer driver, approaching from the Giri axis, allegedly failed to stop at a military checkpoint near the University of Abuja’s permanent site.
Witnesses said soldiers pursued the driver in a Hilux van, forced him to stop, and subsequently dragged him out of his vehicle before assaulting him.
According to Mustapha Ibrahim, one of the protesting drivers, the victim had attempted to park near the checkpoint but accidentally brushed the soldiers’ van in the process.
He alleged that this led to the soldiers smashing the trailer’s windscreen and attacking the driver.
In solidarity, other trailer drivers parked across both lanes of the road, demanding that the soldiers repair the damaged vehicle.
The blockade left hundreds of motorists stranded, with many forced to turn back and seek alternative routes, including through Kuje.
Travelers from Gwagwalada, Zuba, Lugbe, and the Airport Road corridor were among those most affected.
Confirming the development, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) FCT Sector Commander, Felix Theman, said the disruption followed an altercation between soldiers and the driver after his vehicle hit their van.
He added that FRSC officials were deployed to manage the situation.
According to newsmen, as of 3:30 p.m., the road remained shut down.
This protest comes less than a week after tipper drivers similarly blocked the Abuja-Abaji-Lokoja expressway, accusing the police of extortion and wrongful seizure of trucks.
Although the FCT Police Commissioner, Saka Ajao Adewale, denied the allegation, the road was only reopened following the intervention of the Abaji Area Commander.