Hundreds of passengers and scores of vehicles were stranded on Monday following the collapse of a portion of the Minna to Bida road in Niger State.

The collapse of the road which has now become an annual event was a result of a heavy downpour in the last week.

Because of the road collapse some of the vehicles plying the road either returned to Bida or Minna.

As alternative, those coming from the Bida end were forced to follow the longer route from Lemu to Zungeru and down to Minna.

The vehicles from the Minna end, according to the findings, turned back to follow the longer route of Minna-Lapai-Agaie–Bida road.

Articulated vehicles that could not turn at the damaged section of the road hired locals to evacuate their goods into hired vehicles at the other end.

Some of those caught in the web of the gridlock were those going to Bida to felicitate with the Etsu Nupe, Yahaya Abubakar, on his 70th birthday and 19th year of ascension of the throne.

Commissioner for Works, Mohammed Sani, could not be reached for comment.

The Niger Government on September 18, 2018, awarded a contract for the dualisation of the 84kms Minna – Bida road to an indigenous construction firm, Dantata and Sawoe.

Experts however said that the work had only reached 5 per cent of execution.

NAN