Abuja residents were again subjected to hours of traffic mayhem yesterday, as large sections of the Federal Capital were closed off to vehicles.
The heightened security measures left thousands of workers stranded, as they desperately tried to reach their offices and places of business.
According to authorities, the security measures were taken in order to “ensure zero risk” during the commissioning of police aircraft at Eagle Square, at which Goodluck Jonathan was in attendance. As a result, security cordons were put up in a one mile radius around the venue.
A traffic gridlock ensued because Eagle Square happens to be in proximity to the Federal Secretariat, situated in a hub of many businesses and activities.
Yesterday’s traffic chaos comes just days after similar logjams occurred on Friday. Ministry staff and other employees were forced to trek for miles to work, after all vehicles were prohibited from driving towards the centre of the town.
Joy Iwuese, a civil servant, recounted how the diversions caused her to be two hours late for work.
“My bus normally drops me just outside the secretariat,” she said. “Instead, what happened is that they drove only as far as Setraco then started turning back. By the time I even got to work, half of my colleagues were not there.”
Bomb detectors
The traffic tailbacks were no different at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, where bomb detectors were used to screen all approaching vehicles on the airport access road. Some vehicles were also stopped and searched, leading to several missed flights and disgruntled passengers.
Bomb detectors were also sighted at various other locations within the FCT, such as the headquarters of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
The Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) had, on Friday, warned of another attack in Abuja, in an email sent to various media houses. According to the email, the attack was a direct response to Henry Okah’s trial in South Africa and “the persecution of innocent people in Nigeria.”
In the email, signed by its putative spokesman, Jomo Gbomo, the group said it will “give a 30-minute advance warning to avoid civilian casualties, then sit back and watch how the blame game will be played out on all those already falsely accused.”
A security source revealed to NEXT that a similar email was sent to security agencies on Thursday and this has stoked up security concerns in the Federal Capital. The source added that all such threats were now being taken seriously, and warned Abuja residents to brace themselves for stricter security procedures, including the introduction of more checkpoints and random searches.
No end in sight
“It unfortunately does not end here,” the source said. “Things may never fully return to normal because of what transpired on October 1st. Already, if you go to the airport now, all cars entering are being searched. This will also be introduced in strategic places across FCT.
“On Tuesday, again there will be more blockading. The president is commissioning the AYA Bridge, so that entire stretch of road which connects from Asokoro to Maitama is going to be closed off.”
The stringent checks are not a welcome development for increasingly frustrated Abuja residents. Taofik Adejuwon, another civil servant, compared the recent conditions to being in a militarised state.
“Of course, one can never be too safe,” Mr. Adejuwon said..
“But at what cost? It is as if we are living in a military zone. You see police, traffic wardens, VIO, civil defence everywhere. It is very uncomfortable for those of us who are used to more freedom,” he said.
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