Collapsed bridge leaves Kwara-Oyo commuters stranded and drivers counting losses
The collapse of the Moro Bridge on the Ilorin–Igbeti Federal Highway has disrupted travel between Kwara and Oyo states, with commuters using a narrow wooden crossing or wading through floodwater. Transport operators say repeated flooding has destroyed their repair efforts and cut into their livelihoods.
The collapse of the Moro Bridge on the Ilorin–Igbeti Federal Highway has left commuters stranded and disrupted commercial transport between Kwara and Oyo states. A report by Punch found that floodwater had covered parts of the road near Oko-Olowo in Ilorin, leaving vehicles unable to pass through the main crossing. Passengers and traders were instead using a narrow makeshift bridge built from timber poles and planks.
The temporary structure had no visible guardrails, safety barriers or other reinforcement. Travellers carried bags and sacks across it, while some pedestrians and motorcyclists waded through deep, muddy water to reach the opposite side. The conditions have also created a small source of income for some residents.
A minor identified as Khalid told Punch that he helped commuters carry their belongings across the flooded section, receiving between N100 and N200 for the service. For transport operators, however, the disruption has brought substantial losses. Solihu Alade, chairman of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria in Oko-Olowo and chairman of the association’s state task force, said drivers had spent heavily over five days trying to keep the route open before further flooding reversed their efforts.
Alade said driving was his main source of income and that vehicles from areas including Alapa and Mandala could no longer cross to Oko-Olowo. He said two vehicles were already stranded and could be swept away if the water level rose. He added that some vehicles damaged in previous incidents were eventually sold because their owners could not afford repairs.
He said transporters had contributed more than N600,000 for granite, wood and other materials to create access. A container structure previously provided as a temporary bridge was later washed away, he said. Alade urged the state and Federal Governments to control the volume and direction of water flowing towards any alternative crossing.
He said a replacement passage would not resolve the problem unless the floodwater was also channelled under the bridge instead of across the road.
This independently written report is based on information supplied by the named publisher. Vertrix News has not independently verified the source report.