Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger was evacuated by a helicopter when his convoy was stuck in a gridlock on the Abuja-Kaduna highway on Sunday.

The governor seemed to be on his way back from paying a condolence visit to the Emir of Zazzau, Ahmed Nuhu Bamali over the death of Hammanu Dauda, a district head when he was caught up in a gridlock.

Mr Abubakar was airlifted from the gridlock by a helicopter while other commuters remained stranded on the highway, ARISE News reported on Monday.

When Peoples Gazette reached out to the governor’s chief press secretary Mary Noel-Berje for comment, she promised to reply via SMS, which she had not done as of the time of filing this report.

The Abuja-Kaduna expressway which has become a haven for bandits and hoodlums, is one of the most plied routes by commuters moving from the northern part of the country to the southern part.

Speaking on the cause of the traffic jam, FRSC spokesman Bisi Kazeem disclosed that it worsened after a car crash occurred on the highway. He told The Gazette that FRSC operatives had been deployed on the road to monitor and ease the gridlock. 

Kaduna State Caucus of the House of Representatives in November 2021 solicited support in ending the rising spate of insecurity along the highway.

Lawmaker Garba Datti Mohammed on behalf of other Kano lawmakers lamented the brazen murder of Hamidu Sagir, retired Director of Protocol of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) and the abduction of several others along the highway.

“Abuja-Kaduna highway is the critical gateway between the North and the South of Nigeria and the major link road to the North-West and North-East as well as to many neighbouring countries,” said Mohammed. “Abuja-Kaduna highway is the key outlet for the transportation of persons, goods and services across Nigeria and this is evident in the extraordinary traffic on it round the clock.”

Federal Executive Council (FEC) in March 2021, awarded the sum of N792.2 billion to Julius Berger for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano highway, which many motorists have attributed to being the cause of the gridlock.