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Motorists Lament as Sallah Rush Triggers Massive Gridlock on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway
Motorists were stranded for hours on Sunday as heavy gridlock hit the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway following a surge in patronage at the popular Kara Market ahead of the Eid-el-Kabir celebration.
The annual Sallah celebration, observed by Muslims worldwide, is expected to hold on Wednesday, prompting increased patronage at ram markets across Lagos and Ogun states.
Kara Market, located a few kilometres inward from Berger, witnessed a massive influx of buyers and traders, resulting in severe congestion along the ever-busy expressway.
Some motorists lamented that journeys that should ordinarily last a few minutes extended into several hours due to the congestion around the market area.
Oluwole Adekoya is a commercial driver plying Mowe/Ibafo axis,According to him he more than two hours navigating the traffic around the area on a trip that would have taken like 30minutes.
“The traffic is terrible. A journey that should not have taken up to 20 minutes kept me on the road for hours. Everybody is rushing to buy rams for Sallah, and the market has completely taken over the expressway,” he said.
Our correspondent observed security operatives and traffic officials stationed around the OPIC area directing vehicles and attempting to maintain a single lane for smoother traffic flow.
A road safety official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, attributed the congestion to the activities of traders and buyers around the market.
“The fact that vehicles have taken over one lane of the road means traffic is inevitable. Buyers moving in and out of the market are also contributing to the congestion,” the official said.
