A rights group, Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), has called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Adamu and heads of other security agencies to check the excesses and menace of security operatives at the highways that erect myriad of checkpoints daily thereby causing delays and suffering of travelers.

The group said that the numbers of checkpoints should be reduced while the activities of the operatives monitored and checked to ensure that they don’t constitute a problem.

RULAAC is particularly worried about the unjustifiable high number of security checkouts by different security agencies: police, army, and customs along Ogun State - Benin - Asaba-Enugu and Onitsha-Owerri highways.

A statement by Okechukwu Nwanguma, its Executive Director, said that weeks after the end of the lockdown and the unbaning of interstate movements, these checkpoints have remained in their high numbers, adding: “They all cannot be legal checkpoints.”

According to the statement: “The purpose checkpoints are meant to serve has been defeated by the menace these ones constitute and the hardships they are causing people traveling on those routes.

“Between Ogun State and Asaba (Niger Bridge), travellers estimate that there are no less than 100 checkpoints mounted at close distance in between by various security agencies but especially the police. Between Onitsha and Owerri, there are between 25 and 30 checkpoints.

“They put obstacles on both sides of the highways narrowing the roads and forcing all vehicles to line up in one single file and all that the security agents do is collect money from virtually all commercial and private vehicle users.

“This causes delay and suffering for the road users. Travel times are unduly extended by several hours in addition to other inconveniences.

“Security and law enforcement agencies should be a solution to crime and social disorder not constitute threat and problem to citizens,” the statement said.

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