David-Chyddy Eleke took an investigative road trip from Awka to Enugu on Christmas Eve to experience firsthand the level of extortion faced by holidaymakers travelling for the yuletide as Governor Charlies Soludo moves to secure Anambra State in January, 2025.

Just before the 2024 Christmas celebration sets in, a journey from Awka, the Anambra State capital to Enugu, which should be less than one hour, and a distance of about 70 kilometers was N2,500 using a popular transport company known as Eastern Mass Transit Limited. The fare then was considered high, and this was due to the high cost of fuel, which as at early December, 2024, was still N1,200. But as the Christmas celebration sets in, the fare jumped from N2,500 to 4,000, even though the price of fuel reduced to N1,100.

On 24th December when this reporter decided to embark on this investigative trip, the fare had jumped to N5,000, but that was not the only problem, the problem was that there were no buses at all. Passengers littered the park waiting for vehicles, and occasionally scrambling for space each time a bus drives into the park.

When this reporter eventually secured a space in a bus to travel, he asked the driver: ?Early this month when fuel was N1,200 per litre, you people were charging N2,500 to Enugu, how come you?re now collecting double of same amount now that fuel is N1,100?? He replied by asking this reporter to keep calm and see how much he would spend on the numerous checkpoints on the way. He said: ?We are celebrating Christmas, and in the same way, police people and soldiers are also celebrating their season. You will see how we will spend money on the road.? As we drove out of the park, he announced that any passenger having in their possession incriminating materials should throw them away or tell him, to avoid unnecessary delays on the road.

While on the journey, THISDAY counted 22 roadblocks comprising of various military and paramilitary agencies manning checkpoints on the expressway. Analysis showed that there were a total of six military checkpoints on the short journey, manned by armed soldiers in checkpoints that had sandbags, barrels on the road, which narrowed down the width of the road and allowed motorists to only pass through a straight line, one at a time, with oncoming vehicles taking 10 minutes to pass through the same lane, and another 10 minutes for ongoing vehicles.

Police also had nine checkpoints along the same road, all blocked or narrowed down with sandbags stacked on the expressway. Other checkpoints mounted on the road included Customs, Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency, and officials of Federal Road Safety Commission. In most areas, especially Amansea in Anambra State and Ugwuoba and Oji River in Enugu State, the roadblocks were so closely knitted that they strongly impeded movement by motorists.

The total number of roadblocks as recorded during the journey mounted by the security agencies and the various locations are as follows: ?In Agu Awka, just before the International Convention Center in Awka is a military checkpoint, and immediately after is a Mobile police checkpoint too. Also still in Agu Awka is a Customs checkpoint, while further down the road at Amansea is another military checkpoint, including two police checkpoints; one by regular police and the second by Mobile police operatives.

Amansea is a border town with Enugu State, and an exit way out of Anambra. From Ugwuoba which is already in Enugu State, there is first a police checkpoint, followed by another manned by the military, then an FRSC patrol and finally a police checkpoint before one exited Ugwuoba to Oji river. In Oji River, there is a police checkpoint, three military checkpoints in quick secession, then another by FRSC. One would expect that the military will be too refined to maintain three roadblocks within a short distance, but a passenger said they may have simply splitted the same team to maximize profile through bribe, given the busy nature of the road.

In Ezeagu community along the expressway from Anambra to Enugu, this reporter encountered only two police checkpoints, before exiting into Ninth Mile, which has only two police checkpoints and one other manned by Customs officials. Similarly, Ngwo which is the last town before one enters Enugu main town has only two FRSC checkpoints and one by the police, all in the order chronicled above, from Awka to Enugu.

Insecurity in the South Eastern part of Nigeria, especially by criminals masquerading as secessionists, seeking the independent state of Biafra are some of the reasons why roadblocks and security checkpoints have become very necessary in the zone.

In Anambra, during a recent press briefing by Governor Charles Soludo to address the rampant insecurity in the state, he announced that by January, 2025, his government would declare war on those causing insecurity in the state and hiding under freedom fighting. He said the state had resolved to launch a military operation tagged; Operation Udo Ga Achi.

He said: ?The operation will include an aggressive stop and search, and mounting of roadblocks aimed at whittling down the incidences of crime in the state. We are not unaware of the inconveniences that this may cause to our people, but we are asking that they bear with us because it is a temporary measure.?

In what looks like a license to operate, THISDAY?s firsthand experience along Awka-Enugu highway showed that even before the commencement of Operation Udo Ga Achi, security operatives have begun the implementation of the aggressive stop and search order. A journey of less than 70 kilometers, which originally should take less than one hour spanned over three hours.

The simple reason for this is that many of the security checkpoints insist on either searching commuters, which involves a long process, while others simply stand at the roadblocks, collecting bribe from motorists.

Investigation showed that those who are mostly subjected to unending search are drivers of private vehicles, especially vehicles deemed to be flashy cars and driven by younger people.

Drivers of commercial vehicles, who already seem to know the reason for the checkpoints simply pay at every checkpoint. While police operatives collect a minimum of N100, checkpoints mounted by military collect nothing less than N200. Again, while checkpoints mounted by police operatives collect higher denominations and also give out balance to motorists, those by military operatives do not. During the journey, a military personnel was overheard scolding a driver who had unfortunately given a higher denomination and was expecting balance, ?You no know say soldiers no dey give change? Oga dey go abeg.?

The case is not the same with private car owners whose vehicle particulars are not complete, as they get to pay as high as N10,000 or even more. A passenger in the bus who gave his name as Moses said: ?In most cases, if they search your phone, they simply label you a Yahoo boy, and that is all they need to be able to charge you how much to pay. The charges sometimes depend on how much they found as your credit balance, or any other incriminating materials.?

The return journey from Enugu to Awka through the old Enugu-Onitsha expressway however proved better with lesser checkpoints as only nine checkpoints were encountered from Ngwo, Enugu State to Amansea, Anambra State.

Meanwhile, many have argued that the system of policing the society through mounting of roadblocks has become old fashioned and anachronistic. Mr Valentine Obienyem, a businessman and media practitioner while reacting to the level of roadblocks and extortion on the road said: ?I have always maintained that security is virtually non-existent in Nigeria. What may be prompting most Nigerians to join the security forces these days is likely the opportunity to collect bribes, as they observe others doing.

?I have proposed radical measures in the past and have suggested that drivers should all park at any checkpoint where security personnel harass people. If all vehicles were parked, causing a major obstruction, those security officers would eventually retreat and think twice before harassing Nigerians again. It is high time the citizens of this country took back their nation by exploring the enormous power of the crowd which they possess.?

THISDAY reached the state police command?s spokesperson, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, for explanation on the efficacy of the policing model of using roadblocks to check crime, but call to his phone line was not responded to.

But in an interview with a security expert, criminologist and civil rights activist, Mr Emeka Umeagbalasi, who is the chairman of board of trustees of a foremost rights group, International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), he revealed that roadblocks have become a convenient way of extorting motorists on the highway, insisting that the various police hierarchies are aware of this and even collect returns from proceeds of such bribe.

He said: ?I can tell you that in the last nine years, security agencies have collected N3 trillion from motorists in the South East as bribe. Police is the foremost agency known for such bribes, and they are the ones that taught military how to collect bribe too. That is why, if you look at a report we released days ago with the title: ?Ocean of innocent blood flowing in the East?, you will see that bribe extorted from motorists by police stands far higher than that of military.

?Military checkpoints in the South East within nine years and four months, starting from 2015 pocketed a whooping N750 billion from roadblock extortion, an amount equal to 9.8 percent of the N8 trillion defence budget within the same period. On the other hand, Police criminally pocketed N1.024 trillion from roadblocks and patrols in the South East within the same time. There are estimated 2,500 live roadblocks and patrols teams in the South East, with Imo having 700, Anambra 600, Abia 500, Enugu 400 and 300 in Ebonyi, all of which are mounted by not less that 25,000 police personnel.?

Giving recommendations on what could be done, Umeagbalasi said: ?In our report, we made various recommendations to government of Nigeria, armed forces and police high commands and the governors of the South East states. We recommended the dismantling of roadblocks and checkpoints on all South East and South South roads, and have them replaced with CCTV cameras manned by ICT trained police detectives and trackers/monitors, with well trained and ICT literate rapid response police motorized squads.

?We also advocated for the revisiting of police and military daily duty postings at roadblocks and use them to fish out extortionist military and police personnel, abolish and prohibit, as a matter of urgency all military, police and paramilitary monetization of arrest, detention, custodial bail and criminal investigation and prosecution.

?Also, the EFCC, Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit, ICPC, the police service commission and other oversight state anti corruption establishments to individually and institutionally hold accountable extortionist military, police and paramilitary officers and their operational commanders and high command stationed in the eastern Nigeria for their widespread involvement in roadblock extortion and aiding and abetting of related criminal activities perpetrated in the line of official duties.?

Umeagbalasi gave some more other far reaching recommendations, including to Igbo leaders, Igbo leaders in diaspora, international rights group, international development partners, and to victims of such extortion.

There are however indications that police authorities are not unaware of the extortions going on in various checkpoints manned by their operatives. In a recent press briefing by Police spokesperson, ACP Muyiwa Adejobi, he said state governors are aware of the roadblocks mounted by its personnel either on major highways or some intercity roads in their respective locations.

He said: ?Let me say that we have done strategic deployment, and our deployment across the country is not to intimidate anybody, it is for us to make sure that all our routes, major highways and communities are safe. Let me clarify that we don?t have roadblocks in Nigeria, we have stop-and-search points, nipping points, and others. Where you see roadblocks, that is zigzag movement ? be it log of wood, drums and everything, must have been at the request of the governor of that state.

?No command will form any roadblocks without the consent of the governor of that state. There are some states where the governors have actually requested or sought permission of the IGP to have such roadblocks,? he said.

The force spokesman said senior officers in the police had never sent any officer on patrol to make money for them, saying Nigerians should report such officers via publicised headlines if caught while misbehaving.

Not minding these explanations, Nigerians have continued to protest against the policing model of using roadblocks.

Last month, the Nigerian Bar Association sent out a press release signed by its president, Mazi Afam Osigwe, condemning extortions and killings at checkpoints. Osigwe who.was reacting to the death of one of its members through an avoidable death caused by police personnel at a checkpoint said: ?The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) is disturbed by the tragic incident that occurred on Monday, 11th November 2024, in Utu Etim Ekpo, Akwa Ibom State, where a flour-loaded truck pursued by soldiers lost control and crashed into shops, resulting in the death of three individuals, including our dear colleague, and causing severe injuries to several others.

?This preventable tragedy brings to light once again the dangers associated with indiscriminate roadblocks, the use of logs of wood to distort the free flow of traffic, the uncaring attitude of law enforcement agents at checkpoints, high-speed chases through civilian areas, and extortion at checkpoints. Some of these roadblocks are set up at bad points of roads, some are set up in such a manner that makes the free flow of traffic in both directions impossible. Experience has shown that these roadblocks are more intended for extorting drivers and other road users rather than for security and law enforcement.?

The NBA said it has nothing against checkpoints on roads, but lamented that regrettably, the current modes only serve to punish road users, impede traffic, and make it easier for road travelers to be extorted by the different security agencies that man them. ?We, therefore, call on law enforcement agencies to review the type of roadblocks being set up by their officers as well as take steps to ensure that the hardship and extortion that go on there are stopped forthwith.? (THISDAY)

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