Gradual movement of vehicular traffic
returned to the Abuja-Lokoja-Okenne Expressway in Kogi State, on Monday,
after it was blocked for more than eight hours by protesting truck
drivers.
The drivers were protesting what they described as exorbitant taxes by the Kogi State Board of Internal Revenue Service.
The truck drivers blocked the road to protest what they described as 100 per cent hike in tax.
It was gathered that the truck drivers had arrived the NATACO area in Lokoja as early as 7am to embark on the protest.
The protesting truck drivers urged the Kogi State Government to revert to the old rate of N5,000.
A driver, who identified himself as
Oseni, said that the state government had subjected them to untold
hardship with the latest tax.
The road, which serves as one of the
major links between the North and South, was blocked for about eight
hours by the truck drivers.
The protest caused a heavy traffic jam as the truck drivers completely stopped vehicular movement on the road.
One of the motorists trapped in the
gridlock, Mr. Isaac Ighure, said that he had remained on the same spot
on the road for over three hours.
Ighure described the development as bad for the state and the country, especially when it was happening a few days to Christmas.
According to the state Commissioner of
police, Mr. Abdulahi Chafe, the drivers and other stakeholders will meet
on December 21, 2016 to find a lasting solution to the problem.
The protest led to a total blockage of
the major highway for hours, thereby, inflicting serious pains on
passengers coming to and from the northern and southern parts of the
country.
The drivers eventually called off their
protest after a meeting with the officials of the board and the state
commissioner of police.
The state FRSC Sector Commander, Mr. Abayomi Omiyale, said that traffic flow on the road had been restored.
He appealed to drivers to be patient and not to resort to speeding because of the long delay.
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