Chief press secretary to Governor Abubakar Bello of Niger state, Mary Noel-Berje, says her principal manoeuvred his way out of traffic on the Abuja-Kaduna highway by a chopper, and not evacuated.

The aide made the clarification to Peoples Gazette in a WhatsApp message, adding that Mr Bello’s aides found a way to get him out of the gridlock.

“He was not evacuated pls, the team found a way around the situation met on ground, but never evacuated pls. It will not take me anything to tell you the truth,” she said.

The chief press secretary, however, did not elaborate on the circumstances that led to the governor’s exit from the traffic congestion.

Mr Bello was on his way back from a condolence visit to the Emir of Zazzau, Ahmed Nuhu Bamali, over the death of district head Hammanu Dauda when he got caught up in a gridlock.

It was earlier reported on Monday by Arise News that he was airlifted from the gridlock by a helicopter while other commuters remained stranded on the highway.

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

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