by Florence Iyesogie Idehen
It was a sight indeed to behold at the Okpela Auchi road when angry trailer drivers blocked the Okpela Auchi road on Thursday 19th August, 2021.
Travellers passing through the Auchi-Okpela road met a still traffick that halted their journey for hours after angry trailer drivers used their truck to block the road.
It was gathered by Tarakirivoice reporter that the trailer drivers were angered and frustrated by the negligence of the Road Safety officers and Army officers that have left them to their fate for over two weeks stuck in one point because of the bad state of the road making it unable to continue their journey to their destination.
A source told Tarakirivoice that the trailer drivers claimed that they paid the sum of five hundred naira each to some soldiers who promised to fix the road for them but after waiting for days, they have not fulfilled their promise leaving the trailer drivers stranded and some with perishable goods getting rotten.
Also one of the trailer drivers said that they had packed their trailers neatly to create space for smaller vehicles taking the route who were able to maneuver the bad spot through the streets in the village but they decided to block the road that day after the soldiers failed to fulfill their promise.
It was also gathered that the soldiers in an attempt to ease traffick and create a passage damaged the wind screen and windows of the trailer blocking the road which further infuriated the trailer drivers.
Passengers travelling through the route expressed disappointment and were sympathetic saying they did not blame the trailer drivers because they could understand their frustration having been sleeping on the road for weeks with no hope of returning back to where they where coming from or arriving at their destination.
However some of the commercial travellers had to reverse to take the Ibewe Okene road to continue their journey to their various destinations.
