Vehicular movement along the Abuja-Kaduna highway was brought to a halt for about two hours yesterday following an accident around Madalla junction, in Suleja LGA of Niger State, in which three people were killed and three others injured.

The accident, which involved a trailer, took place around 10 am.

Witnesses told Abuja Metro that the trailer was coming from the Kaduna axis, when the driver lost control at the junction and crashed into a commercial tricycle, popularly known as Keke Napep.

At 12pm, when our reporter left the scene, a rescue operation was still ongoing for more survivors.

The accident compounded the traffic gridlock on the road, which has been witnessing a snail-speed movement of vehicles since the beginning of rehabilitation work on the road.

A witness, Saleh Haruna, told our reporter that among those killed were a commercial motorcyclist and the passengers of a commercial tricyclist, who had alighted around the junction.

He stated that the rider of the commercial tricycle left the machine to change money to settle his passengers when the incident took place.

He survived with an injury on one of his hands, while his passengers were believed to be among the dead.

He said the driver of the ill-fated trailer fled the scene along with his assistant immediately after the accident.

A crane truck driver deployed to the scene was seen making an attempt to remove the trailer from the scene without success.

Abuja Metro reports that the highway was later reopened to motorists after the trailer was successfully lifted off the tricycle.

Officers of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) at the scene confirmed the incident. (Daily Trust)