Motorists and travellers using the Benin-Agbor-Asaba route have been stranded for days as severe traffic congestion continues to disrupt movement between the South-South, South-East and Lagos.

The gridlock, which has reportedly persisted for about five days, has left motorists spending long hours on the road, with some travellers unable to reach their destinations.

The situation has been attributed largely to the poor condition of sections of the road, which has been further worsened by heavy rainfall in the area.

Minister of Works, Engr David Umahi and some National Assembly members inspecting Benin-Agbor road on Tuesday

The rain has reportedly made some portions of the road difficult to navigate, resulting in vehicles becoming stuck and worsening the already severe congestion.

The route is a major link for motorists travelling between Lagos and several states in the South-South and South-East, making the prolonged gridlock a major concern for travellers, transport operators and motorists.

Some motorists have reportedly been forced to spend extended periods on the road as efforts to navigate the affected sections have proved difficult.

The development has also raised concerns about the impact of the bad road on the movement of goods and passengers, particularly during the rainy season.

Travellers using the route have called for urgent intervention to restore movement and prevent further deterioration of the situation.

Meanwhile, the  Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, on Tuesday led an urgent federal intervention on the congested Benin-Agbor-Asaba Expressway following President Bola Tinubu’s order to ease the hardship faced by stranded motorists.

Umah’s arrival in Edo State was disclosed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Francis Nwaze, who shared a video of the minister’s on-site inspection on his official X handle.

“Umahi arrives in Benin, Edo State, to address the congestion on the Benin-Agbor-Asaba Road,” Nwaze posted, adding in a subsequent update, “Umahi arrives Benin-Agbor-Asaba Road to resolve issues surrounding the road, which was handed over to concessionaire on PPP Basis since 2025.”

In an official press statement issued on Tuesday, Nwaze confirmed that Tinubu ordered immediate corrective measures on both the Benin-Agbor-Asaba axis and the deplorable Ifaki-Kabba-Ado Ekiti road spanning Ekiti and Kogi States.

To execute the directive, Umahi reportedly deployed the Minister of State for Works alongside ministry officials to commence remedial works on the Ekiti-Kogi corridor.

“While the intervention team moved into Ekiti and Kogi States, Umahi himself headed to Benin, Edo State, alongside members of the National Assembly Works Committees, to initiate a similar coordinated intervention on the Benin-Agbor-Asaba road.

“The Benin meeting is expected to bring together key stakeholders, including representatives of the Edo and Delta State Governments and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), with the aim of finding immediate solutions to the challenges confronting motorists on the strategic corridor,” the statement partly read.

The FCT Police Command has identified officers accused of allegedly extorting N40,000 from a resident along Wuye-Utako Road, near Salem Church, in the Federal Capital Territory.

The Command said the officers depicted in a video circulating on social media had been identified and were in custody.

The Police Public Relations Officer of the command, SP Josephine Adeh, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.

“The attention of the Commissioner of Police, FCT Police Command, CP Ahmed Muhammed Sanusi, PhD, FCAI, has been drawn to a video circulating on social media alleging that police officers of the FCT Police Command extorted an FCT resident of the sum of Forty Thousand Naira (₦40,000) along Wuye – Utako Road, by Salem Church, within the Federal Capital Territory.

“The officers depicted in the video have been identified and are in custody,” the statement read.

The video, which began circulating widely on social media around August 24, features a man who claimed that on August 20, 2026, a police officer in Abuja collected ₦40,000 from him even after verifying that his documents were complete.

The man shared footage showing a receipt and a conversation after he returned to the checkpoint.

Adeh said the Command had also invited the complainant to the FCT Police Command Headquarters to give an official statement on the incident to aid investigation and disciplinary action.

Country music legend and Hollywood star, Dolly Parton, has died at the age of 80, her family has announced.

Parton’s nephew, Brian Seaver, announced her death on Tuesday in a video shared on her social media account, describing the moment as one of “absolute pride and great sadness”. The family did not immediately disclose the cause of death.

The Tennessee-born singer, songwriter, actress and philanthropist enjoyed a career spanning more than six decades and became one of the most recognisable figures in American popular culture.

Late Dolly Parton

Known as the “Queen of Country”, Parton sold more than 100 million records worldwide and earned numerous honours, including multiple Grammy Awards. Her enduring hits included “Jolene”, “I Will Always Love You”, “9 to 5” and “Coat of Many Colors”.

Her death came after a period of health challenges. In May, Parton announced the cancellation of a Las Vegas performance, revealing that she had been undergoing treatment for kidney stones and was also dealing with problems affecting her immune and digestive systems.

Just days before her death, Parton had indicated that she was still determined to work despite acknowledging that she had slowed down following the death of her husband, Carl Dean, in March 2025.

“Even though I’m still healin’, I’m still workin’!” she said, insisting that she still had many things she wanted to accomplish.

Parton was born on January 19, 1946, in Locust Ridge, Tennessee, the fourth of 12 children in a poor family. She grew up in the Appalachian region, where her mother’s love for traditional music helped nurture her passion for singing and songwriting.

She began performing as a child and moved to Nashville shortly after graduating from high school in 1964. Her songwriting talent soon earned her recognition, before she established herself as a major recording artiste.

Parton’s breakthrough included “Jolene”, which became one of her signature songs. Her composition “I Will Always Love You” later became a global hit for Whitney Houston after the singer recorded it for the 1992 film The Bodyguard.

Beyond music, Parton built a successful acting career, starring in films including 9 to 5, Steel Magnolias and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. She also became a prominent businesswoman through Dollywood, the theme park she established in Tennessee in 1986.

Her influence extended well beyond entertainment. Parton founded the Dollywood Foundation and its Imagination Library initiative, which provides free books to children, making childhood literacy one of the major causes associated with her name.

She also donated $1 million to coronavirus research at Vanderbilt University in 2020, funding that contributed to research that later helped in the development of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine.

Parton’s personal life also attracted public interest. She married Carl Dean in 1966, and the couple remained together for nearly six decades until his death in 2025. They had no children.

Despite her global fame, Parton remained closely connected to her Tennessee roots and used her success to support communities, education, healthcare and other charitable causes.

Her death brings to an end the life of an entertainer whose influence crossed generations, musical genres and national boundaries, leaving behind a vast catalogue of songs and a philanthropic legacy that extended far beyond country music.