Motorists and other road users heading into the Abuja City Centre in the FCT are now experiencing significant traffic delays due to military checkpoints set up on major routes,Daily Trust reports.
An investigation by City & Crime revealed that these checkpoints, previously abandoned by soldiers for other assignments, were reinstated last Tuesday. The checkpoints now have increased military presence and additional equipment, including armored tanks.
Commuters entering Abuja via the Zuba-Dei-Dei Expressway reported roadblocks between Sabon-Wuse and Dikko Junction in Niger State, and between Zuba and Dei-Dei in the FCT.
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City & Crime also reports military checkpoints between Bwari and Dutsen-Alhaji, at the Karu Junction, before the Mogadishu Cantonment on the Abuja-Keffi Expressway, and around Giri Junction on the Abuja-Lokoja Highway.
Sulaiman Ibrahim, a passenger from Sabon-Wuse in Tafa LGA, Niger State, mentioned spending over an hour in traffic at the checkpoints around Dikko Junction and between Zuba and Dei-Dei on Sunday afternoon. He noted that the road was less congested on weekends before the checkpoints were reinstated.
Most interviewees attributed the return of the checkpoints to the planned nationwide protest against hunger and bad governance scheduled for August 1.
