A trailer conveying hundreds of bags of rice was on Thursday gutted by fire around the Numan axis of the ever-busy Numan–Yola highway in Adamawa State, triggering a major traffic lockdown.
The incident, which occurred in the early hours of the day, left motorists stranded as the strategic route—considered the main gateway linking most parts of Adamawa to the rest of the country—was completely blocked for nearly two hours.
Witnesses said traffic came to a standstill for two hours along the road, a major issue considering that the Numan-Yola road is a key link between virtually the entire Adamawa State and the rest of the country.
One of the first responders, Adamu Bappa, said villagers rallied to battle the flames and salvage the goods from the burning vehicle.
“It took the villagers in the vicinity considerable effort and time to offload the rice amidst heavy smoke from the burning trailer,” he said.
Bappa added that he and the other volunteers were able to recover about 400 bags of rice from the approximately 500 bags the lorry was carrying.
Emergency officials were yet to issue an official statement as of press time, but normal traffic flow had reportedly resumed following the removal of the burnt vehicle from the road.