How motorists got stranded as angry youths block Abuja airport road for hours + PHOTOS
Movement in and out of Abuja through the popular Airport Road was on Saturday afternoon shut down for more than four hours by angry youths protesting the demolition of the Gosa Market area of the airport road. The youths including women barred hundreds of vehicles from accessing the major highway with woods, tires and big […]
Movement in and out of Abuja through the popular Airport Road was on Saturday afternoon shut down for more than four hours by angry youths protesting the demolition of the Gosa Market area of the airport road.
The youths including women barred hundreds of vehicles from accessing the major highway with woods, tires and big stones vandalising some cars in the ensuing commotion.
They said their actions were meant to register their protest against the demolition of the popular Friday Gosa market including shanties within the market by the FCT authorities.
The airport road is a major gateway to the Abuja airport, Lugbe, Giri, Gwagwalada and the central parts of Abuja.
Hundreds of motorists plying the road could not use the highway for hours as some police men and soldiers who were trapped in the protest watched the youths helplessly.
One of the affected traders Ladi Danladi told our reporter no information about the demolition was made known to them beforehand.
"Before I could get here all the goods in my shop were gone. We want them to leave our market for us else they should come and kill us," Danladi said.
It was later gathered that military reinforcement to the scene of the protest later in the evening dowsed the tension as youths had started vandalising and looting some cars.
When contacted on the matter, the Coordinator Abuja Metropolitan Management Council AMMC Umar Shuaibu told Daily Trust that his team actually went to the Gosa Friday market on Saturday to evacuate the traders selling on the road which he said was resulting to heavy traffic jam.
He said the actual market was supposed to be 500 meters away from the main road but traders had taken over the roadsides thereby causing heavy traffic jam.
“ We didn’t pull down any stall inside the market but those that are serving as obstruction on the main road" He said
"that road is supposed to be a very important road not only to FCT but the country as a whole as important visitors all over the world ply that road whenever they are in the country. “ We have to make a good impression about our country’s image by keeping that always free from traffic and all other obstructions.