Residents of Baro community in Niger State have been thrown into hardship following the collapse of a major bridge linking the area to the multibillion-naira Baro Inland Port.
The bridge collapse has reportedly cut off the community from the already deteriorating Katcha–Baro federal road, leaving commuters, traders and residents stranded.
According to reports from the area, vehicles can no longer access Baro through the route due to the damaged bridge and poor state of the road, which was awarded for construction several years ago but remains incomplete.
Community leader and convener of the Baro Youth Forum (BYF), Hon. Jibrin Ndagi Akwanu, confirmed the incident, saying the bridge gave way after heavy flooding caused by recent rainfall.
He expressed concern that a community hosting a strategic inland port project worth billions of naira could become completely isolated because of failed infrastructure.
Akwanu said the collapse has disrupted economic activities and daily life in the area, affecting access to markets, schools, healthcare services and movement between neighbouring communities.
“The destruction of the bridge has exposed residents to serious hardship. Farmers, traders, students and travelers who depend on the route are now suffering,” he said.
He appealed to both the federal and state governments to urgently intervene by reconstructing the bridge and rehabilitating the road linking the inland port.
According to him, restoring the bridge would not only ease the suffering of residents but also revive commercial activities connected to the Baro Inland Port project.
A senior official in the Niger State Ministry of Works reportedly confirmed the collapse but noted that the affected road and bridge fall under federal government responsibility as a Trunk A road.
