Clips from stranded travellers. A woman by a luxury bus, with a caption reading “Over 2 days now no food no water.” A flooded, rutted road lined with trucks and logs “after the Benin bypass” on 23 August 2026. A woman saying everywhere has been packed for five days since Wednesday.
This is the same corridor as AWO-009, seen from the Edo side. Passengers sleep in buses because they can't afford hotels, and trucks carrying food and fuel sit still for days. A gridlock like this works as a tax on every good that moves between Lagos and the east.
What broke, and what would fix it
What broke
There's no contingency plan. Nobody diverted traffic, sent water or set up emergency response for people trapped for days. The concession moved the job to a private firm, but responsibility for the travellers stayed with no one.
Who was responsible for the welfare of travellers trapped on this road?
