stranded passengers

Hundreds of passengers have been stranded at the Abia/Rivers State border at Oyigbo are of Oyigbo local government area of Rivers State as a the closure of the Rivers State borders ordered by Governor Nyesom Wike as a means of curtailing the spread Coronavirus pandemic into the state comes into effect.

Our Correspondent who visited the Oyigbo border reports that the security agencies were overwhelmed by the vehicular and human traffic they met at the border between Rivers and Abia as at 5pm on Thursday.

Contrary to the Governor’s directive that the border should be closed at 6pm on Thursday, the overzealous security officials had stopped vehicles from going out and coming into the State as early as 5 pm.

Patrick Owhonda whose members of the family  told our correspondent that state government have allowed people left stranded in areas along Oyibo axis is calling for our help.

Passengers who were indigenes of Rivers State begged the police officers to allow allow them back into the state, claiming that they went to Aba, in Abia State to make last minute purchases to beat the border closures.

Others who claimed that their journeys were delayed by bad roads in commercial vehicles were also seen pleading with the security agencies to allow them in Rivers State.

Drivers of trucks carrying seafood and loads of sand frowned at the refusal of the security agents to allow them in despite registering their departures with them earlier in the day.

Key checkpoints affected include: the Owerre- Elele axis, Etche –Imo road, Eastwest road at Emuoha, sea and Air travels.

Hardest hit are interstate transportation companies who are counting their loses due to ban on movements in and out of the state.