Foodstuff dealers in the South-East region, comprising Anambra, Imo, Enugu, Abia and Ebonyi states, have blamed the continuously rising prices of food items on officers and men of the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police, Naval ratings, the Federal Road Safety Corps and other paramilitary agencies.

The group, under the aegis of the Food Vendors/Farmers Association of Nigeria, South-East chapter, alleged that farmers and food vendors while moving farm products to various locations and markets, were seriously extorted by officers who had mounted several roadblocks across the region.

Raising concerns over the development, the group lamented that major roads in the region have become “business centres” for security officers, who, through the numerous roadblocks, extort them of various sums of money, despite paying the necessary road fees and levies recognised by the state and federal governments.

Findings by South-East PUNCH between Sunday and Tuesday showed that the ever-busy Onitsha-Owerri Road that directly connects both the old and Second Niger Bridges in Anambra to Imo and Abia states, as well as the Onitsha-Awka-Enugu Expressway that directly connects the River Niger bridge in Anambra to Enugu and Ebonyi states had several roadblocks mounted at various sections of the roads with heavy presence of various security operatives.

Apart from the major highways, other roads were not left out as they also had multiple roadblocks and heavy presence of security personnel carrying out one activity or the other, including collection of various sums of amount of money from commercial and lorry drivers.

This, it was gathered is significantly contributing to the continuous surge in the prices of food items and other essential commodities across various markets, as marketers always factor the money they spent at the roadblocks before fixing the final prices on their items.

Earlier, in June, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission initiated a targeted campaign by visiting various food markets across the South-East, to investigate the cause of surging food prices at the markets. Despite the various findings by the commission, nothing tangible was achieved, as the prices have continued to soar.

Speaking to South-East PUNCH during a two-day stakeholders’ meeting in Onitsha, on Monday and Tuesday, the Zonal Coordinator of the South-East Food Vendors/Farmers Association, Mazi Gabriel Ikem, expressed displeasure that the South-East region records the highest rate of surging food prices, caused by “extortions” at the roadblocks across the region.

Ikem added that if both the federal and state governments can tackle this menace on the highways, prices of food commodities will drop by over 40 per cent in the region.

He said the stakeholders’ meeting was convened to see how the group can tackle the soaring prices of food items, adding that it will also be embarking on a market tour across the five states of the South-East region to enhance collaboration among members to harmonise the prices of foodstuffs and other related commodities.

He said, “The extortions our members face in the hands of security personnel at the various roadblocks have become a nightmare for both the food vendors and customers. The development has made life very unbearable and businesses more difficult for us. It is hurting both sellers and buyers.

“The farmers and food vendors, while moving farm products to various locations and markets in the region pay a lot of money to the various security personnel at the roadblocks, they are always extorted by these officers, who have mounted several roadblocks. The South-East has the highest number of checkpoints and roadblocks and that is why if you observe, the prices of foodstuffs are higher here, this is because these farmers will have to factor in the money they paid at these checkpoints to arrive at the final price of their items, this has multiplier effects.

“The extortions start right from both the old and Second Niger Bridges as you are entering the South-East. The lorry drivers and the owners of the food items being conveyed face different security agencies and they are forced to pay various sums of a reasonable amount of money and this continues till the final landing point of the goods. The whole of South-East is riddled with roadblocks from the Onitsha-Owerri Road, Awka-Enugu Road, and Aba-Port Harcourt Road, among others.

“Apart from the high cost of transporting these items due to increasing fuel prices, the lorry drivers, farmers and food vendors, based on raw lamentations in recent time, have been complaining that at every checkpoint they are always forced to part with a reasonable amount of money by any group of the security agencies, which they said, made them have no option than to factor the cost of extortion into prices of food items.

“Based on the complaints, we wrote the various state governments in the region, the Inspector General of Police and heads of the other security agencies to dissuade their operatives from the act, but daily reports available to us still show that the extortion continues unabated.”

Ikem averred that food vendors have resorted to buying lesser quantities in recent times because of high transport fares, coupled with extortions at various checkpoints.

He added, “We are not against the roadblocks as it is a way of providing security on the roads, but the problem is the extortions they are using it to carry out. If the issue of these multiple extortions on the South-East roads can be addressed, we are sure that prices of food will crash by over 40 per cent. The prices of foodstuffs are higher here because of these extortions we are experiencing. For instance, what is sold at N2,000 in other regions, is sold at N3,000 here because of the situation.

“We urge the relevant authorities to look into this direction and give us a ‘waiver,’, ‘immunity’ or ‘exemption’ from these extortion activities, we assure them that prices of food will start coming down. It is just pathetic that the authorities are not doing anything to save us. I have been in this business for over 20 years, but the activities of these men in recent times are excruciating and coping in this period has become a nightmare for us, forcing prices of food items to be skyrocketing daily and the government at various levels is not showing any concern to ameliorate the situation.”

The Secretary of the Association, Mrs Ezinne Udeh, who is based in Ebonyi State, said due to the continuous rise in landing costs of food commodities, traders are forced to keep increasing prices of commodities, adding that the situation robs them of adequate turnover because customers keep complaining.

She said, “Everyday, we take delivery of prices of foodstuff from different parts of the country, we find out that the prices in the South-East are always higher and the complaints we keep getting are largely due to extortions the food vendors face on the roads. And the situation is becoming worse daily.

“A truck of foodstuffs that we used to load for N40,000 is now pursuing N250,000 because the truck drivers always complain of bad roads, police extortions and touts activities on the roads. We have complained severally to the various governments but they have remained adamant about our plight.

“We want to embark on collaboration among ourselves and other stakeholders, especially those who convey the goods, to see what we can do to help the situation so that it will not get out of hand before the Yuletide period.”

Lending his voice to the development, the Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, South-East, Mazi Chike Ndudi, also noted the too many presence of roadblocks used for extortions in the South-East, urging the relevant authorities to address the situation.

Ndudi enthused, “We have complained several times that the South-East has the highest number of roadblocks being used for extortions, but nothing has been done. We are not against the roadblocks or checkpoints, what we are against is the massive extortions going on at these places.

“If the authorities can look into this, it will reduce a lot of hardships for the people. It is just too many, at almost every 100 meters, you encounter a roadblock where motorists are being extorted, it is just unbearable.”

When contacted for a reaction on the checkpoints, the Anambra State Police Command spokesman, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said, “Thank you for the information, but I speak for Anambra State Police Command. I will relay your complaints to the right authority, please. No agency in the country condones such act or any related to it.” (The PUNCH)

Update news