Thousands of Nigerians travelling by road to their hometowns for Christmas and New Year celebrations are enduring severe difficulties, especially on routes leading to the eastern states, as dilapidated roads, heavy traffic congestion and illegal checkpoints worsen the festive rush.
Many commuters—largely Igbo returning home for end-of-year cultural festivities—described the trips as exhausting, traumatic and nightmarish.
Mrs Vivian Tochukwu, a businesswoman travelling with her family from Lagos to Onitsha on Sunday, December 21, said a journey that should have taken under eight hours turned into an overnight struggle, with her family arriving the next day. She alleged repeated extortion by security personnel, who reportedly collected ₦200 at multiple checkpoints from Lagos. In parts of Edo State, she added, local youths mounted illegal roadblocks, demanding tolls of between ₦200 and ₦500. Travellers who refused to pay were allegedly delayed, harassed and, in some cases, assaulted, while vehicles were vandalised.
Another traveller, who requested anonymity, said the situation deteriorated after Ore in Ondo State when a truck making a U-turn blocked the highway. “We left at 4:30 a.m. and reached Ore around 10:30 a.m. We waited for over two hours before diverting through old village roads to link Okada in Edo State,” he said. The detour reportedly exposed passengers to more than 30 illegal checkpoints, with some vehicles damaged in the process.
As a result, many travellers were forced to lodge overnight in hotels at unexpected costs or sleep in motor parks. On social media, stranded passengers warned others to carry at least two days’ supply of food, lamenting that “umu Igbo are suffering on the way to Ala Igbo.”
Similar experiences were reported by travellers heading east from Abuja. Many diverted through bush paths around Lokoja and other flashpoints due to insecurity, prompting some to reconsider air travel. “I would rather pay one million naira to fly than go through what we experienced yesterday,” one passenger said.
In Asaba, Delta State, commuters reportedly spent no fewer than four hours in gridlock, worsened by ongoing road construction and poor traffic control. With hotels fully booked, some travellers slept in motor parks. Children were seen crying from hunger, heat and exhaustion, including some visiting their ancestral homes for the first time.
As the festive travel season reaches its peak, commuters are urging the government and relevant agencies to urgently fix critical road infrastructure, dismantle illegal checkpoints and ensure safer, more humane travel conditions.
