According to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), two articulated vehicles that were obstructing traffic at the Koton-Karfi-Murtala bridge, Banda, and Lokoja highway have been removed.
According to NAN, Malam Shehu Mohammed, the FRSC Corps Marshal, made this announcement today while evaluating the traffic condition at the Lokoja congestion with the Commissioner of Police and FRSC Sector Commander in Kogi.
According to Mohammed, the Corps has improved inter-agency cooperation to restore vehicle mobility and efficient traffic control, and sufficient people and logistics have also been deployed.
He claimed that although traffic was still heavy, it has started to move as a consequence of the FRSC, Nigeria Police, and other sister agencies working together.
Together with the Kogi Sector Commander and the Commissioner of Police, we have managed to keep the situation under reasonable control.
“The traffic is now moving slowly, as you can see,” he remarked.
The head of the FRSC stated that the Corps’ preemptive action had lessened the severity of the bottleneck, citing broken-down vehicles as a key contributing factor.
Trucks that broke down presented difficulties, but we were able to transfer them thanks to the degree of collaboration and the quantity of workers sent in.
He explained, “That’s why traffic is flowing even though the road is still busy.”
The Corps Marshal also said that the Corps increased deployment in response to the heavy traffic in the preceding days, which he attributed to the increase in vehicle traffic over the holiday season.
“The increase in traffic due to festive movement led to congestion,” he said. We reinforced patrols here by deploying additional personnel from Abuja and other sites after realizing this.
“The situation had greatly improved as a result of the action, enabling drivers to resume their travels, albeit slowly.
The road is now more open than it was prior to our intervention. At least people are going and reaching their destinations, even though the traffic is moving slowly due to its volume, Mohammed stated.
The FRSC chief clarified that the purpose of the on-site visit was to offer officers and other staff members who had been handling the traffic for days leadership support, inspiration, and encouragement.
However, Mohammed urged drivers to cooperate with traffic cops, cautioning that lack of discipline—particularly driving against traffic and failing to keep lanes—had made the jam worse.
He emphasized that as long as drivers refrain from lane indiscipline and irresponsible driving, Koton Karfe-lokoja will remain free.
Mohammed praised the FRSC and other agencies for their “exceptional sacrifice,” pointing out that many policemen had been on the road for several days without stopping to maintain traffic flow.
To enable drivers to use this road and get to their destinations, we are here to support and encourage our employees and other security authorities on the ground.
In order to allow everyone on the road to have their way and reach their destinations without needless delay, we are pleading with drivers to exercise discipline and maintain lane discipline.
We want our operators to know that they have the support of the entire Corps. In order to ensure that this traffic is cleared and flow is restored, we appreciate them staying here for three to four days, even sleeping on the road,” he stated.
The FRSC Corps Marshal promised motorists that the Corps would sustain the enhanced activities until traffic flow fully normalised and encouraged continuous patience and cooperation from all road users.
Naziru Kankarofi, the Kogi State Commissioner of Police, stated that sufficient security measures had been implemented to guarantee the security of the soldiers and officers assigned to the operation.
After three days of intense traffic, Kankarofi credited the continued interagency cooperation between security and traffic management authorities with restoring vehicle flow along the Lokoja corridor.
He added that the collaborative operation was able to resolve the traffic situation and that the FRSC Corps Marshal’s visit to the scene of the bottleneck had improved their morale.
He claimed that drivers’ frustration and disrespect for lane control made the traffic even worse.
“What compounded the problem was that many drivers were not respecting lane discipline.
According to Kankarofi, “they were not patient enough to wait for traffic to move and kept forcing themselves into exit lanes and blocking them completely.”
The commissioner stated that once security agencies coordinated their response, the situation improved.
We were able to clear the road with the help of the FRSC, the police, and other security organizations. As you can see, traffic is moving normally,” he remarked.
The FRSC Corps Marshal’s personal visit to the scene from Abuja was praised by Kankarofi, who said it boosted morale and reaffirmed the value of teamwork.
He noted that as the primary security agency, the police would continue to coordinate efforts and appreciate the help received from sister agencies.
He urged drivers of articulated vehicles to respect other road users’ rights and follow traffic laws and regulations.
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