Desperate Motorists Carve Forest Paths After Days Trapped in Edo’s Benin-Asaba Gridlock
Benin City, Edo State – August 26, 2026 — Exhausted motorists and travellers, some stranded for two to four days on the collapsed Benin-Asaba Road, have begun carving and using rough makeshift paths through nearby forests and bushland in a desperate bid to escape one of Nigeria’s worst recent highway gridlocks.
The crisis, centred on the federal corridor linking Edo to Delta and the South-East, has left heavy trucks, commercial buses, and private vehicles locked in endless queues.
Viral videos circulating since August 24 capture the scale of the chaos and the risky alternatives travelers are now taking.
Trapped for Days, Then Into the Bush
Journeys that once took a few hours now stretch into days because of deep potholes, eroded stretches, abandoned trailers, and failed carriageways.
One commercial driver, Olisa Godwin, told reporters his bus carrying 53 passengers from Lagos to Onitsha, Owerri and Port Harcourt was forced to divert through a lonely bush path via Ugoneki village in Uhunmwode Local Government Area.
Passengers and drivers report sleeping inside vehicles, running short of food and water, and watching goods spoil. Transport operators speak of mounting losses from delays and vehicle damage.
Residents and motorists have staged protests, at times blocking sections of the highway—including around Ohovbe in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area—to demand urgent action.
The alternative forest routes, however, bring their own dangers. Travellers warn that the isolated paths lack security presence and could expose them to robbery or kidnapping.
A Regional Economic Drag
The Benin-Asaba Road is a critical artery connecting the South-West, South-South and South-East.
Its prolonged deterioration, along with problems on the Benin-Sapele and Benin-Auchi corridors, has disrupted trade, logistics and daily movement across the region.
Similar complaints of multi-day traps have been reported on adjoining routes.
Government Response and Promises of Reconstruction
Minister of Works David Umahi recently inspected the affected sections with Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo. Umahi voiced disappointment with the concessionaire handling the project and apologized to stranded motorists.
He announced that President Bola Tinubu has directed the redesign and total reconstruction of the Benin Bypass and other major highways in the area.
Governor Okpebholo has inspected ongoing works and pledged visible progress before Christmas, while state officials cite heavy rainfall as a factor slowing construction.
The state government says major entry and exit routes have been awarded and that work will accelerate once the rains ease.
Public Frustration Boils Over
Online reactions have been fierce, with many Nigerians blaming years of neglect of critical federal infrastructure.
For those still stuck in the gridlock or navigating the bush paths, the immediate priority remains simply getting through—safely and alive.
As reconstruction orders filter down and contractors return to site, the true test will be whether the promised overhaul finally ends the cycle of failed roads, multi-day traps and dangerous forest detours that have become a grim routine for travellers on this vital corridor.
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