The Lekki-Epe Expressway was on traffic gridlock, yesterday, for the second day, despite the lockdown introduced by the Federal Government to check the spread of coronavirus pandemic.
The Federal Government had last week placed a lockdown on Abuja, Lagos and Ogun states to reduce the spike in the number of confirmed cases in the areas, while policemen were deployed to enforce the order.
This the police did effectively last week, which was the first week of the lockdown.
It was learnt that the failure of enforcement of the lockdown order since Monday emboldened residents in the axis to pour out, with commercial bus drivers rolling out their vehicles.
A medic, Dr. Effua Tando, who expressed angst about the situation, blamed the police for not doing their job.
Tando said in frustration: “Yesterday (Monday), I could not get to my clinic on Victoria Island until after spending about eight hours on the road. Today, I left home as early as 8.am and I’m still here at noon.”
Several ambulances conveying patients to hospitals were trapped in the traffic, with some compelled to drive against traffic to exit the gridlock, but all to no avail.
Efforts to get the policemen to explain the reason they blocked the road drew their anger.
They were unfriendly, complaining that their superiors deployed them onto the roads without welfare.
However, one of them was heard telling his colleague that refusal of people to stay in their homes informed their action.
A petrol tanker driver, trapped in the gridlock, said: “How many people have they arrested for coming out of their homes? Why are they allowing buses on the road? People are coming out because there are buses and cabs to convey them to their destinations. The government should do something.”
Recall that since Monday, the bad traffic spots on the expressway had been at the checkpoints at Crown Estate, Sangotedo and Shoprite at Agungi.
