Abuja, Nigeria — Hundreds of travellers were left stranded for hours on Monday evening after several Dangote trailers reportedly blocked major highways linking the East and South to Abuja. The trailers were allegedly positioned to prevent pro-Biafra agitators from joining a protest demanding the release of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, VOP TV reports.
A video obtained by VOP TV showed a distressed traveller narrating the ordeal at the Lokoja axis of the expressway, describing a massive traffic jam caused by the immobilised trailers.
“Now you can see, look at how they blocked the whole road from East to South to Abuja. This is Lokoja, Abuja. All of us are trapped because of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” the eyewitness said in the clip recorded between 6:30pm and 7pm on October 20.
“The trailers blocked the road, using the strategy of killing someone. Look at this, this is Lokoja. This is the road. They blocked the road from East to South so that we cannot invade Abuja for the peaceful protest. This is the condition we are in right now.”
The video, recorded near a Dangote truck corridor, showed long stretches of immobilised vehicles as frustrated travellers lamented their inability to move.
The incident comes amid heightened tension across several Nigerian cities following renewed calls for Kanu’s release. On Monday, security forces in Abuja violently dispersed protesters participating in the #FreeNnamdiKanuNowdemonstration.
Human rights activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore accused security operatives of firing live bullets and tear gas at peaceful demonstrators near the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja.
“There were about 10 trucks that arrived as soon as we started the protest. There was no provocation on our part. It was an orderly and peaceful protest. Suddenly, from nowhere, they started shooting at us—tear gas and some live bullets were fired,” Sowore said on Channels Television’s Morning Brief.
“The government’s continued detention of Kanu is a sham designed to obstruct justice. They should present their evidence before the court instead of resorting to repression.”
#FreeNnamdiKanuNow: How Dangote Trucks Were Used To Block Major Highways In Lokoja, Keep Travelling Protesters Stranded pic.twitter.com/btDrIpn4F3
— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) October 21, 2025
Earlier, security operatives sealed off Unity Fountain, the rally’s initial take-off point, and barricaded roads around the Federal Secretariat, Eagle Square, and the Three Arms Zone, denying access to motorists and pedestrians.
Kanu, the leader of IPOB, was first arrested in 2015 on treason charges, granted bail, and fled the country after a military raid on his Abia State residence. He was later re-arrested in Kenya in 2021 and illegally extradited to Nigeria, where he remains in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) despite multiple court orders granting bail.
In August 2025, the Federal High Court dismissed Kanu’s no-case submission, enforcing his continued trial on terrorism-related charges. His legal team has since raised concerns over his deteriorating health, demanding his transfer to the National Hospital, Abuja.
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