A mild drama occurred along the Calabar-Itu highway as a herd of cattle took over a major stretch of the road, causing gridlock and panic among motorists and commuters.

The incident, which took place on Tuesday evening around the Itu axis of the busy highway linking Cross River and Akwa Ibom states, left vehicles stranded for hours as the cattle moved leisurely on the road, defying blaring horns.

Eyewitnesses who spoke with The PUNCH said the cows, numbering more than 100, were being led by herders when they spread across both lanes, bringing traffic to a halt.

A commercial driver, Etim Bassey, said the government should intensify efforts to regulate herders, describing the incident as terribly unfortunate.

“It was a terrible experience. We spent almost an hour in one spot. The herders were walking behind without control. Some cows were even lying on the road,” he said.

A female commuter, Mrs Rosemary Ukpong, who was travelling from Uyo to Calabar, lamented that the situation had become recurrent.

She said, “This Calabar-Itu road is now a grazing field. Every week you must meet them. What if there is an emergency? Government should do something about open grazing on this highway. It’s too dangerous.”

Another commercial driver, Aniekan Lazarus, said motorists were forced to manoeuvre dangerously to avoid ramming into the animals.

A senior immigration officer who was also travelling back to Calabar and pleaded anonymity decried how the cows halted movement on a major road, urging the Federal Government to act swiftly in cautioning the herders.

“The Federal Government should act swiftly in this kind of situation. We cannot be waiting to salute cows while they are taking over major federal roads. This is very sad and annoying. In fact, it is a slap on our leaders and everyone in the corridors of power,” he said.

As of the time of filing this report, the cattle had been moved off the road, but traffic was still building up due to the backlog of vehicles. (The PUNCH)