By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has raised the alarm over the incessant military intimidation, harassment, and extortion at what it described as, “kill and bury” military checkpoint at Ukwu Orji in Mbaitolu Local Government Area, along Owerri/Onitsha expressway in Imo State.

It said that passengers from the eastern part of the country have been subjected to all manner of humiliation, torture, and forceful disappearances at both military and police checkpoints in the Eastern Region, particularly at the "kill and bury" military checkpoint.

The group stated this in a statement signed its media and publicity secretary, Emma Powerful.

It accused the soldiers at the Ukwu Orji checkpoint of deliberately keeping all the vehicles that get to the checkpoint at 10pm until around 12 am when they are expected to pay N5,000 before they can be allowed to pass to continue on their journey.

The statement reads in part: “Sometimes, after unnecessary delays and extortions at this checkpoint, the passengers are attacked and kidnapped on the way. The soldiers and police officers at this checkpoint are informants to kidnappers.

“Similar incidents happen in all the military and Police checkpoints scattered all over the South East Region. The uncountable number of army and police checkpoints collect N5,000 or more from each vehicle in the South East Region and make persons and vehicular movements difficult and expensive.

“The militarization of the South East Region is not only intimidating and oppressive policy of the Federal Government of Nigeria and the murderous Security Agencies, but it is also a plan to occupy Biafra territory.

“The security agencies of Nigeria also contravenes UN human rights commission rules regularly in carrying out their evil plans in Igboland. The Nigerian government’s economic strangulation policy against Ndigbo can be felt by all inhabitants of Igbo land. The excessive extortions at these military and Police checkpoints make the cost of goods and transportation exorbitant compared to other regions of the country.

“Holding passengers at gunpoint from 10 pm to 12 am is against fundamental human rights. All of that done in order to extort huge amounts of cash from travellers before allowing them to cross the army or police checkpoint. This shows that the Nigerian military is conniving.

“IPOB in the past have raised alarms that the military and police checkpoints in the East are part of the insecurity of kidnapping and car snatching gangs' activities. The presence of these soldiers and police officers at various checkpoints have not reduced insecurity, instead, the Nigerian soldiers at the checkpoints are humiliating, and allegedly passing information to kidnappers.”

IPOB called on the Nigeria Defence Headquarters and the Chief of Army Staff to withdraw and dismantle the Military checkpoints in the South East particularly the checkpoint at Ukwu Orji on Owerri/Onitsha expressway if they care to maintain their remaining integrity.

The group noted that checkpoints are meant to protect innocent civilians while checkmating the activities of criminal elements terrorizing the communities.

It regretted that instead of stopping the insecurity, the military men and women at the checkpoints are fueling insecurity, angering, and frustrating the civilians on the roadways.

“The military checkpoints are extortion toll booths and information gathering for the kidnappers.

“Therefore, IPOB demand that the Nigerian Army and Police dismantle all the indiscriminately positioned criminal military and police checkpoints in the South East Region and the South South Region with immediate effect.

“We believe that their personnel have turned the checkpoints into something else. These checkpoints are fueling the anger of the people. The Nigerian Army and Police in the East must not wait till the people's anger gets to boiling point before they allow Ndigbo to breathe. The Nigerian Army should never underrate the reactions of angry and wounded persons. Biafra people and Biafra territory have endured a lot.”

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