A yet-to-be-identified man climbed to the top of an advertisement billboard near the Gyadi-Gyadi flyover, popularly known as Gadar Lado, threatening to jump and drawing a large crowd of onlookers.
Firefighters and police personnel quickly mobilised to the scene in an attempt to convince him to come down, but he remained defiant.
While his motive was unclear, some bystanders claimed he had been on the billboard since around 9 a.m.
Some witnesses said he was frustrated by the rising cost of living and demanded to speak with Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf before coming down.
Some onlookers mockingly encouraged him to jump so he could be buried on the spot, though he appeared undecided.
Police spokesperson SP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, in a statement on his verified Facebook page, said the man insisted on seeing certain TikTok influencers.
The incident caused a massive traffic gridlock stretching to Zoo Road. Motorists trying to avoid the jam were caught in alternative route congestion around Court Road.
A resident, Sule Abba, dismissed the incident as hunger-induced, urging people to disperse. Another, identified simply as Salisu, said the man had succeeded in creating a social media sensation.
As of 3:00 p.m., the man was still on the billboard. He was later rescued after much drama and evacuated to a police hospital in Bompai, according to Kiyawa.