Residents of the Ohovbe community in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area of Edo, on Thursday, in their numbers, grounded commercial activities along the Benin-Agbor expressway while protesting the deplorable state of the road.

The protesters turned the protest into a carnival as they slaughtered a cow and cooked the meat on the road.

Youths in the locality also turned the expressway into a football field, blocking the entire road.

The protest, which started on Wednesday, grew stronger on Thursday, disrupting the community’s market day, forcing residents of the area to trek long distances to their destinations, and leaving other travellers stranded.

Omuobi Abuegwu, an articulated vehicle driver who left Lagos en route to Onitsha but became stuck in the middle of the protest in Benin, said he was unsure when he would leave the log jam created by the demonstration.

“I have been here since 9:00 a.m. yesterday. I have not even moved an inch. The residents are protesting against the bad road.

“As I speak, I have not eaten since. I am coming from Lagos, and I am going to Onitsha,” Mr Abuegwu said.

A resident of the area, Solomon Nnamdi, warned that the government was pushing the state’s people to the limits of their endurance.

“It has been a very long time since the people have been complaining. They are pushing the people to their limit. So, we are saying that the government should wake up.

“This road condition is affecting food prices in the market. You can see trucks parked here for days. I just saw one Hausa man sleeping under his truck,” he said.

Figo Tete, a referee during a football match on the major road, also said they would remain on the road until the state and federal governments rehabilitated the roads. 

(NAN)