EXCLUSIVE: Flood Takes Over Kwara-Oyo Highway As ‘Container Bridge’ Built By Governor AbdulRazaq Fails Three Months After Commissioning

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Floodwaters have actually taken control of a significant area of the Okolowo– Alapa Road connecting Kwara and Oyo states, leaving lorries stranded and locals having a hard time to cross the path months after the Kwara State Government set up a makeshift “container bridge” as a short-lived option following the collapse of the Moro Bridge.

SaharaReporters checked out the impacted neighborhood on Tuesday and citizens told how floodwaters spread out throughout the highway, interrupting motion and leaving citizens and drivers exposed to additional risk.
Citizens informed SaharaReporters that the short-term structure had actually stopped working to attend to the seasonal flooding issue which even reasonably heavy rains sufficed to render the path blockaded.

“This container bridge constructed by the federal government did not offer us any option to our issue here. Anytime little rain falls, all our neighborhood would be flooded. We are suffering excessive in this neighborhood,” one citizen informed SaharaReporters.
Another local stated the flooding had actually ended up being a repeating headache for neighborhoods along the path.
“We have actually been coping with this issue for a long period of time. The federal government came and built this container bridge and we believed things would enhance, however take a look at what is taking place now,” the local stated.
“Once rain begins, the water increases rapidly and covers the roadway. Individuals who are going to work, traders and chauffeurs are all impacted. In some cases you need to await hours before you can cross.”

A 3rd homeowner stated the circumstance was especially harmful for vehicle drivers utilizing the roadway with travelers and products.

“This is the only roadway a number of us depend upon to move in between these neighborhoods and other parts of Kwara and Oyo. When the flood takes control of the roadway, whatever stops,” the citizen stated.

“You can not anticipate individuals to continue driving through water like this. If an automobile gets stuck here, who will save the residents?”
Another homeowner stated the neighborhood had actually anticipated the federal government to offer a resilient option after the collapse of the old bridge.
“We value that the federal government attempted to offer us an option after the bridge collapsed, however what we have now is not resolving the issue,” he stated.
“We require a correct bridge and appropriate drain. We do not require something that will just work when there is no rain.”
Videos shared by locals on social networks and evaluated by SaharaReporters revealed floodwaters covering areas of the roadway around the Moro River.
In among the videos, a local might be heard accentuating the level of the flooding and the trouble drivers were experiencing.

“See Moro River now, automobiles can’t move due to the fact that of the flood. The roadway is currently divided into 2 and individuals are passing there with problem,”the citizen stated.
Another voice in the video alerted that drivers were taking severe dangers by trying to travel through the flooded area.
“Look at the level of this water.

This is the roadway individuals utilize every day. If the water increases more, no one will have the ability to pass here,” the homeowner stated.

A vehicle driver who spoke with SaharaReporters stated the circumstance was impacting industrial activities along the passage.
“We are losing cash whenever this roadway is obstructed. Traders can stagnate their items, guests can not take a trip and chauffeurs need to wait till the water decreases,”he stated.
“This is expected to be a significant roadway linking neighborhoods in Kwara and Oyo. Federal government ought to not enable it to stay like this.”
The advancement comes just months after the Kwara State Government built an alternative gain access to roadway and makeshift bridge utilizing shipping containers following the collapse of the old Moro Bridge.
SaharaReporters had actually reported solely in July that the short-lived structure had actually produced issues amongst citizens and roadway users since of the volume of sturdy traffic utilizing the path.
The roadway is a significant transport passage linking Kwara neighborhoods with northern Oyo towns, consisting of Igbeti and Kishi, and extending towards paths resulting in the Nigeria– Benin Republic border.
Trailers, tankers, trucks carrying farming fruit and vegetables and other articulated cars routinely utilize the passage.
Throughout SaharaReporters’ earlier check out, homeowners had actually cautioned that the container structure may not hold up against rush hour and might end up being especially susceptible throughout the peak of the rainy season.
One homeowner had actually stated that although the federal government had actually made an effort to bring back motion after the collapse of the old bridge, the alternative structure was insufficient for the volume of traffic on the path.
“If you examine the roadway from where the federal government began, you will see that they have actually attempted, however the only issue is that the container bridge is not strong enough to stand up to the weight of durable cars like trucks that constantly pass here,” the citizen had actually stated.
“But we can’t do anything about it. We are simply hoping to God versus disaster.”
The citizen had actually likewise alerted about the impact of increasing floodwaters on the structure.
“If water happens September throughout the heavy rains, we are hoping the bridge will not be gotten rid of. If you look below the bridge, you will see how the water streams. If the flood ends up being heavy, there is a high opportunity it might get rid of the bridge,” he stated.
A civil engineer, Babatunde Abdulganiy, had actually likewise alerted SaharaReporters that although container bridges might be utilized as momentary crossings under correctly crafted conditions, they were not ideal for continual durable traffic without proper style and load limitations.
Abdulganiy, a graduate of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology and homeowner of Ilorin, stated the adequacy of the waterway below the structure was vital due to the fact that of the location’s history of flooding.
“The success of such a structure depends mainly on whether appropriate hydraulic clearance and adequate waterway have actually been supplied to enable floodwaters to pass easily,” he stated.
He cautioned that flooding might weaken the structure if the water passage was insufficient.
“We understand that flood strength in the location usually peaks in between September and October. If the water passage is insufficient, there is a genuine possibility that increasing floodwaters might overtop or weaken the bridge, producing a major security threat,” he stated.
He likewise warned versus enabling articulated trucks and other heavy cars to utilize a structure that was not developed for continual heavy axle loads.
“It is likewise essential to stress that a container bridge is not created to bring continual heavy axle loads from articulated trucks, trailers and other durable trucks that routinely utilize that path,” he stated.
“Such structures are normally meant as short-term setups with stringent load constraints. Subjecting them to constant heavy car traffic would considerably increase the danger of structural failure.”
The most recent flooding crisis follows the collapse of the old Moro Bridge, which triggered a deadly mishap and left numerous others hurt.
The bridge collapsed on April 29, 2026, after a sturdy truck supposedly tried to cross the aging structure.
A subsequent SaharaReporters check out to the scene revealed the ruined bridge, stranded lorries and commuters having a hard time to discover alternative paths.
Neighborhood members and vigilantes informed SaharaReporters at the time that the truck, which was apparently bring stones, activated the collapse.
“The truck bring stones stepped on the bridge and right away the bridge paved the way,” a vigilante had actually stated.
The truck apparently somersaulted into the collapsed area, with the motorist saved alive and required to health center.
Later on, 4 boys from Mandala neighborhood riding on 2 motorbikes supposedly plunged into the collapsed area after obviously overlooking sufficient indication.
Among the riders passed away, while the others sustained severe injuries.
The occurrence restored issues about the condition of the bridge and the extended hold-up in finishing an irreversible replacement.
The history of the Moro Bridge returns a number of years.
An examination by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) released in 2022 recorded the extended desertion of the restoration of the Moro and Ohan bridges along the Ilorin-Igbeti Road.
According to the examination, the restoration agreement was granted to Bilijoe + Berger Construction Limited for N865,019,925.

The agreement was consequently increased, with an extra N73.1 million authorized in 2020 for extending the Moro Bridge, bringing the modified agreement amount to N938,133,184.45.

The ICIR examination later on reported that an additional enhancement in 2022 pressed the overall quantity assigned for the job to N1,214,822,585.65.

The specialist at the time associated the hold-up to increasing building expenses and stated extra funds were needed to finish the task.
The ICIR report likewise recorded the significance of the passage to neighborhoods and traders who depended upon the roadway to transfer farming fruit and vegetables and other items in between Kwara and Oyo states.
The Kwara State Government has formerly stated the Moro Bridge is a federal facilities which its intervention was planned just as a short-lived procedure pending building of a long-term bridge by the Federal Government.
In September 2024, the state federal government revealed that Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq had actually authorized instant rehab of the aging Moro Steel Bridge after fractures established on the structure.
The state explained the intervention as a “stop-gap procedure” meant to reduce motion till the Federal Government finished a brand-new concrete bridge.
Following the 2026 collapse and restored debate over the expense of interventions at the bridge, the Kwara State Ministry of Works stated in May that the state had actually invested N27 million on the last palliative intervention on the federal bridge, declining claims that the AbdulRazaq administration invested N1.2 billion on the structure.
The ministry stated the N1.2 billion figure associated to claims about the state federal government’s intervention was incorrect and preserved that the state had actually just carried out a modest momentary intervention while the Federal Government managed the long-term restoration.
The flooding now challenging drivers and locals has actually restored concerns about whether the momentary option was appropriate for a passage traditionally impacted by flooding and rush hour.
For homeowners, the instant issue is no longer just the condition of the collapsed bridge however whether the alternative path can securely stand up to the rainy season.
“We do not desire another mishap before federal government acts,” one homeowner informed SaharaReporters.
“We have actually currently lost somebody here. We do not wish to lose more individuals since of flooding or since this short-lived bridge can not deal with the scenario.”
Another citizen stated the federal government needs to urgently deal with the flooding before the scenario ends up being more unsafe.
“Government ought to come and see what is taking place here on their own. Let them come when the rain is falling and see what regular individuals are going through,” he stated.

“We have actually suffered enough. We require a long-term service, not another momentary plan.”

SaharaReporters observed substantial flooding along the path throughout its Tuesday see and examined videos revealing lorries having a hard time to browse the afflicted area.