By Theodore Opara
Thousands of Nigerians travelling by road to their hometowns for Christmas and New Year celebrations are enduring severe hardship, particularly on routes to the South Eastern part of the country, as poor road conditions, traffic congestion and illegal checkpoints exacerbate the festive travel rush.
Many travellers returning home for traditional end-of-year festivities described the journey as horrific, torturous, and exhausting.
Mrs. Vivian Tochukwu, a businesswoman, who travelled with her family from Lagos to Onitsha on December 21, said a journey that should have lasted less than eight hours stretched into an overnight ordeal, with her family arriving the following day.
She said: “Beyond persistent extortion by security officials, who allegedly collected N200 at multiple checkpoints from Lagos, we had to navigate bush paths and rural communities in parts of Edo State.
“Local youths mounted illegal checkpoints, demanding tolls ranging from N200 to N500. Travellers who resisted were delayed, harassed, and, in some cases, beaten, while vehicles were vandalised.”
Another traveller speaking on condition of anonymity, said the journey became unbearable after Ore in Ondo State, where a truck attempting a U-turn blocked the highway.
He said: “We got there around 10:30 a.m., after leaving home at 4:30 a.m. We waited over two hours before diverting through old village roads to connect to Okada in Edo State.
“The diversion exposed us to more than 30 illegal checkpoints, and conditions worsened along the Benin link road. Cars lost their bumpers in the bush, and we spent over four hours trying to find our way out.”
The hardship forced some travellers to check into hotels at unplanned costs, while others slept in motor parks. Social media posts from stranded passengers advised intending travellers to prepare at least two days’ worth of food, warning that “umu Igbo are suffering on the way to Ala Igbo.”
Reports from Abuja-bound travellers heading east painted a similar picture. Passengers were forced to divert through bush paths around Lokoja and other flashpoints, despite insecurity fears. One traveller said the ordeal made him reconsider air travel: “I now understand why airlines cannot reduce fares to the East. I would rather pay one million naira to fly than go through what we experienced yesterday.”
In Asaba, Delta State, travellers reportedly spent no fewer than four hours in traffic worsened by ongoing construction and poor traffic control. Hotels were fully booked, forcing some passengers to sleep in motor parks, as traders and hotel operators were among the beneficiaries.
Children were seen crying of hunger, heat, and exhaustion. Some of them were visiting their villages for the first time.
At a motor park, a young child lamented: “Mummy, you told us it was eight hours. Now we have spent 18 hours and still have not reached our village.”
As the festive travel rush peaks, commuters are calling on the government and relevant agencies to urgently repair critical road infrastructure, dismantle illegal checkpoints, and ensure safer, more humane travel conditions.
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