Protest Blocks Mokwa-Bida Highway Over Banditry In Niger

Travellers were stranded on the Mokwa-Bida highway in Niger State after residents blocked the road in protest over persistent banditry and abductions.

The blockade affected a major federal route used by motorists travelling between the South-West and the North. Reports said all entry points into Mokwa were blocked by protesters on Sunday.

Punch and Vanguard both reported the protest from a News Agency of Nigeria account. A protester, Saliu Mohammed, claimed that suspected bandits had recently abducted 15 residents of the community, but NAN said the claim could not be independently verified.

Mohammed said the protest would continue until the victims were rescued. He accused security agencies of failing to secure their release, while residents kept the road blocked to draw attention to the attacks.

One commuter travelling from Ilorin to Abuja, Joy Amaechi, said she had spent five hours at Mokwa and called for urgent government intervention. A driver with a mass transit company, Henry Nwachuckwu, said he arrived in Mokwa around 7am.

As of about 10.30am, protesters had not left the highway. The disruption left travellers and transport operators stuck on the route while residents pressed for action on the abduction claims.

Sources: Punch, Vanguard