Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Vehicular movement along the Ilorin–Igbeti Federal Highway in Asa Local Government Area of Kwara State was thrown into chaos after the Moro Bridge, a colonial-era Bailey structure, collapsed in the early hours of Thursday, 30 April 2026. According to the Kwara State Government, the bridge caved in around 5:00 a.m. under the weight of a heavy‑duty truck, cutting off a critical transport link that connects Kwara State to neighbouring Oyo State and communities extending towards the Nigeria–Benin Republic border. The collapse left hundreds of commuters stranded, disrupted commercial activities, and forced motorists to seek dangerous alternative routes while officials scrambled to divert traffic.
Confirming the incident, the state Commissioner for Works, Engr. Abdulquawiy Olododo, said in a statement that the Moro Bridge collapsed overnight after a heavy‑duty truck passed over it. “The collapse occurred in the early hours of today after a heavy-duty truck passed over the bridge, resulting in a major disruption along the route,” Olododo stated. He announced that engineers had been deployed to begin immediate palliative work on alternative routes and that traffic managers had been instructed to collaborate with transport unions to ensure orderly movement. “Engineers have been mobilised to begin palliative work on diversion routes to reduce the hardship being experienced by road users,” the commissioner added.
The Moro Bridge is a vital infrastructure linking Ilorin in Kwara State to communities in Oyo State such as Igbeti, Kishi, Saki, Igboho, and parts of Kwara North. Built during the colonial era, the Bailey bridge has long been a fragile crossing point, undergoing repeated rehabilitation over the years due to recurring structural distress. A viral video of the collapsed bridge shows a heavy-duty truck turned upside down among the wreckage, believed to have been plying the route at the time of the collapse. Behind the fallen structure, a new concrete bridge being constructed by the federal government can be seen, apparently about 40 per cent completed at the time of the incident.
Residents and road users quickly voiced their frustration over the development. A businesswoman, Kafayat, told PUNCH Online that the collapse had negatively affected economic activities, causing delays and increasing transportation costs. “This development has negatively affected economic activities, causing delays and increasing the cost of transportation for commuters and businesses,” she said. Another resident, Abdulateef, who spoke to BBC Yoruba, said the old bridge had long shown signs of failure and that nothing had been done to address them. “The bridge has been showing signs of collapse for a long time, but nothing was done. Even the new one beside it has been under construction for over 15 years,” he lamented. He appealed to the government to act quickly, warning that the situation could disrupt livelihoods.
The collapse has also sparked outrage over the alleged mismanagement of public funds, given that over N1.2 billion had reportedly been spent on the reconstruction of the bridge. Findings by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) had earlier highlighted serious concerns about both the Moro and Ohan bridges, noting that the Moro Bridge, prior to its collapse, already showed “an appearance of a rusty bridge with structural deficiencies that are said to be life-threatening.” The contract for the reconstruction project was awarded to Bilijoe + Berger Construction Limited for N865 million, a figure later revised upward multiple times. By 2019, an additional N92.9 million had been approved, bringing the total to about N938 million. A further augmentation in 2022 pushed the total project cost to over N1.2 billion (N1,214,822,585.65). Despite these approvals, the project remained incomplete before the latest collapse.
The ICIR also reported that the contractor claimed funds had not been fully released, citing inflation and rising material costs as major obstacles to completing the work. “Inflation should be blamed for the abandonment of the projects,” the contractor, Olatunji Musa, said. However, experts and stakeholders have accused both the contractor and the government of failing to follow due process. The ICIR findings further revealed that the Federal Ministry of Works allegedly violated the Public Procurement Act by awarding the contract above its initial budget without ensuring proper funding arrangements. A social accountability expert, Busayo Morakinyo, described the situation as part of a broader pattern of abandoned projects across Nigeria. “The saddest aspect is that contractors that abandon the projects go scot‑free without due reprimand,” he said.
The Kwara State Government has announced immediate traffic diversion measures to cushion the effects of the incident. The government said it is working with federal authorities to provide alternative routes, while traffic managers have been deployed to control vehicular flow. “State traffic managers are to work with transport unions and commuters to maintain orderly passage on the alternative route while palliative work begins immediately on the old iron‑made bridge,” the Ministry of Works statement read. Officials also revealed that federal authorities are pushing ahead with the construction of a new Moro Bridge, located a few metres away from the collapsed structure, to provide a lasting solution to the problem. The government appealed to motorists and residents to exercise patience and understanding while the emergency is resolved.
The collapse of the Moro Bridge has severed connectivity for more than 20 communities that rely on the route for daily transportation, trade and access to essential services. With the heavy‑duty truck still trapped under the debris and no timeline given for the completion of the new bridge, commuters and businesses face an uncertain period of hardship. As the state and federal governments scramble to restore movement, the people of Kwara and Oyo states are left counting the cost of yet another infrastructure failure that might have been prevented.
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