Commuters and residents of the Southeast are unarguably under siege. On their major road, they are confronted by roadblocks and checkpoints mounted by the various security agencies ? army, police, customs, air force, navy, civil defence, road safety, among others.

Again, at home, including the rural communities, they are faced with heavy militarisation, which has left many parts of Igbo land desolate.

A recent travelogue by former Anambra State Commissioner for Information, Chief Tony Onyima, detailing his first-hand experience along the Lagos-Onitsha route, indicated what commuters pass through with the over 60 security checkpoints, which some travellers christened ?collection points.?

As anxiety over the incessant harassment of innocent people by soldiers, and sometimes, personnel of the mobile police squad mounting roadblocks in the Southeast continues to rise, leaders, stakeholders and residents have called for the dismantling of these roadblocks.

In their request to President Bola Tinubu during his recent one-day official visit to Enugu State, leaders of the zone appealed to him to direct the dismantling of the roadblocks.

The Secretary of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Chief Onyemuche Nnamani, who spoke at a town hall meeting with the president lamented that the obstacles mounted by the security agencies lead to delayed human and vehicular movements even as they make the goods more expensive.

?Checkpoints, in my view, have many drawbacks, checkpoints and roadblocks, they make the movement of goods and persons very expensive, very inefficient, increase the cost of logistics, leading to high inflation.

?They tie down valuable security manpower, they needlessly expose the brave men and women of our security agencies to attacks by criminals of all guises, of various guises, as well as to other users of the highways.

?In view of this Your Excellency, we appeal to you to support Enugu State and security agencies, to de-emphasize the traditional practice of roadblocks, stop and search and all that. Our people are really complaining about those things,? Nnamani said.

Also, Igbo Women Assembly (IWA), last week, passionately called on the president to order for the dismantling and withdrawal without delay of all military checkpoints and roadblocks in the zone.

President of IWA, Mrs Nneka Chimezie who spoke to journalists in Umuahia after a general meeting/inauguration of the Abia State chapter, said that the checkpoints have become humiliating avenues for pedestrians and motorists plying the highways in the zone as people who use the roads are often subjected to interrogations, raising their hands up while crossing the checkpoints, and at times beaten up, saying that such trends portray the Southeast as a war zone when there is actually no war going on in the area.

IWA equally noted that ?Southeast is militarised? and expressed worry that despite the heavy deployment of military on Southeast roads, insecurity has refused to abate.

?Southeast is under siege of sorts. Some villages have been sacked. Before now, Southeast was very peaceful. We, the Igbo women, are concerned and we want peace to return to Igbo land,? she said.

Similarly, former Inspector General of Police, Mike Okiro, expressed worry over the spate of checkpoints in Igbo land.

Speaking during campaign for the just held Ohanaeze Ndigbo elections, he said that he was not averse to checkpoints, but if elected as the group?s president-general, will work for their reduction.

?These checkpoints are mostly seen on the Owerri to Rivers road. On that route, checkpoint is mounted every 20-30 meters. It?s really worrisome, but the one that bothers me most is this one that they ask those riding bike to come down and push their bike pass the checkpoint or where passengers in commercial vehicles would disembark and walk through the place. This is not good; it?s dehumanising and I will ensure that it?s addressed.?

Board Chairman of International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), Emeka Umeagbalasi, whose organisation has worked extensively on this area, said that roadblocks and checkpoints are now outdated.

He explained that modern means of surveillance and security do not require mounting obstacles on the road in the name of roadblocks and checkpoints.

?The purpose of establishing roadblocks belongs to old model of road mobility and security for the modern time, it is no longer useful, it has been long replaced by digital security. And when you physically position policemen on the road carrying guns, you are breeding corruption and that is what is happening.

?We ask those people what is the essence and purpose of the roadblocks? It has not achieved anything. It has not brought about any succour in the security of the region, rather, It has brought about insecurity. The mindset of many has always been focused on criminals, men of the underworld and hoodlums, what about criminals in uniform, what are they doing at the checkpoints and roadblocks? Collecting money physically, shamelessly with alacrity, impunity and with audacity? It?s not an accidental and isolated case. No, it is a collective criminality- the act of daily, weekly and monthly returns, which affected all the cadres of police formations and military formations across the country particularly in the Southeast,? the activist stated.

Sunday Sun?s reporters toured the major highways in the Southeast and their findings were quite shocking.

Imo

Checkpoints and roadblocks manned by either military or police personnel in Imo State have become permanent features with their consequent inconveniences to the motoring public.

To many, these places are purely tollgates as motorists especially commercial bus drivers must part with N100 each time they drive past those checkpoints.

On the Owerri/Aba expressway, there are not less than 15 of such checkpoints.

On September 9, last year, policemen on a roadblock at Agbala in Owerri North council area along the Owerri-Aba Road allegedly shot dead one Obinna and thereafter ran away following the ugly incident to avoid being mobbed by enraged youths of the community.

Again, at Akachi Junction also along the Owerri-Aba Road, the Naval personnel who mounted a checkpoint there had always brutalised both commuters and commercial bus drivers. This is despite the regular traffic jam caused by the military personnel who had effectively blocked one of the lanes.

At the checkpoint, anybody riding on a motorcycle must disembark for he\she to pass through as any disobedience will result in severe flogging by the Naval personnel as well as impounding of the motorcycle.

One of the most notorious places is the Sam Mbakwe Airport Junction. The military personnel there would humiliate commuters by always asking them to disembark and walk by and failure to obey will result in the detention of either the driver of the bus or the passengers. Again, people also lamented the constant harassment by the soldiers.

Other places where similar dehumanising treatments are meted on commuters and motorists are Aba-Owerri Road by Sam Mbakwe Airport Junction by Umuowa in Ngor Okpala council area, Onitsha/Owerri road precisely at Awomama, Mgbidi, Onitsha/Owerri road at Irete, Port Harcourt Road at Avu junction.

The checkpoints are not limited to the boundary between Imo State and Abia State; Aba/Owerri road in Obowo council area, the Joint Taskforce at Orieagu in Ehime Mbano LGA, Joint Taskforce at PDS Anara-Amaraku road and many others.

At the Onitsha/Owerri road, Irete axis, police checkpoints there are more than three in close proximity, where those who manned them are forcefully collecting N100 from drivers on every trip. It was close to this spot that gunmen shot four policemen on duty, last year.

Despite repeated calls from the State Commissioner of Police, Aboki Danjuma to his men on the road to dismantle the checkpoints, his orders rather fell on deaf ears, with more roadblock formations springing up, instead.

The Igbo National Council (INC) has repeatedly cried out over their illegal stay on the roads.

According to INC, the military personnel at the locations act with reckless impunity in maltreatment of travellers.

?Intelligence reaching the Igbo National Council (INC) has it that operatives of the Nigeria Police, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Air Force and Nigerian Navy engage in an intense lobby to be posted to checkpoints in states of Southeast where in their slangs they call the region, ?zone of land of milk and honey? because of the amount of money they collect at those checkpoints that they have turned into illegal toll gates and extortion centres.?

President of INC, Chilos Godsent, in his latest outcry described the issue as a violation of the fundamental human rights of the people.

He said: ?The Igbo National Council (INC) has received several complaints from road users on the activities of security operatives serving at Aba-Owerri Road by Sam Mbakwe Airport Junction by Umuowa in Ngor Okpala LGA, Imo State and other areas.

?We appeal to the relevant authorities to caution the security operatives serving at the aforementioned checkpoints or set-up taskforce to arrest and prosecute those engaged in molesting or dehumanising civilian passengers or forcefully extorting motorists that are using these roads.?

Ebonyi

In Ebonyi State, although people living around the roadblocks feel safer, but motorists groan over high extortion.

Common roadblocks where the motorists are extorted include the Ishieke Junction located on the African Tran-Saharan-Highway, Nkwegu/Ikwo Junction on the ever-busy Abakaliki/Onueke Highway, Oshiri/Onicha road. Among others.

At these ?cashpoints,? motorists are made to pay particular amounts between N100 and N500 depending on what they carry in their vehicles before being allowed to pass by security agencies.

At Ishieke Junction roadblock, some policemen caught in a viral video collecting money from motorists were sanctioned by the state police command.

The officers were seen in the video issuing balance to the motorists whose monies were above the particular amount they demanded from them before they could be passed to continue their journeys.

The video went viral, eliciting condemnations by members of the public.

Spokesman of the command, DSP Joshua Ukandu in a statement, said that they had identified the policemen in the video and commenced disciplinary measures against them.

Ukandu said: ?The command is aware of videos making the rounds on social media depicting our officers acting unprofessionally at their duty posts.

?The command unequivocally condemns their actions and has identified the officers involved, while disciplinary actions have already been initiated against them.

?The Commissioner of Police, Ebonyi State Police Command, CP Anthonia Adaku Uche-Anya, is using this medium to reiterate the command?s zero tolerance for extortion or any form of misconduct while noting that any officer found wanting would face disciplinary actions.?

Enugu/Abia

There are about 11 checkpoints and roadblocks between the 9th Mile-Opi-Makurdi Highway, mounted by the Army, Police, Customs, Police and Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

From the Benue and Enugu State border axis, there is a checkpoint mounted at the border point by the Nigeria Mobile Police (MOPOL) and an Army checkpoint at Orba Junction in the Udenu area of the road. There is an FRSC checkpoint near Premier Junction Ihe-Alumona, then a police checkpoint at the Premier Junction, with Army roadblock/checkpoint near Opi Nsukka Junction.

Also, there is a Customs checkpoint/roadblock at the Umuna Junction area of the road, with Army checkpoints at Afa, Ebe and Egede Junctions, as well as police checkpoints before Egede Junction, and near Ama Brewery.

Their presence attracts mixed reactions. While residents viewed it as a measure to check insecurity in the area, drivers and other motorists saw it as an avenue for extortion and harassment.

Chukwuebuka Igboka, a resident of the area said: ?For me, I feel comfortable with the presence of military and police checkpoints along the 9th Mile-Opi-Makurdi highway. Their presence has reduced to the barest minimum cases of armed robbery and kidnapping along the road. Before now, we used to hear and witness cases of armed robbery attacks, as well as many vehicles abandoned along the road with their occupants as kidnapped victims.?

But to Chinekwu Eneje, a commercial bus driver, those checkpoints and roadblocks were mounted as illegal revenue collection points by the security personnel.

?As far as I am concerned all the checkpoints along the road are for illegal revenue collection, if not there shouldn?t be multiple checkpoints close to each other along the highway. If they want to fight and stop insecurity, they should deploy modern technology to do that not by mounting roadblocks and extorting money from road users. Their presence on the road has not stopped kidnapping, armed robbery and other criminal activities along the road, so my suggestion is that they should leverage the opportunity provided with the modern technology to fight insecurity,? he said.

A truck driver, Sunday Omeke, said that he spends N5,000 to N10,000 settling security agents at the checkpoints along the 9th Mile-Opi-Makurdi highway each time he passed the road with his truck loaded with goods.

Relaying his experience, Omeke said: ?My ugly experience with the security personnel at one of the army checkpoints was the day I gave them N500 as against the N1,000 they demanded. They detained me and my truck at that spot for 2 hours as punishment for making an argument with them and not meeting up with their demand.?

In Abia State, there are checkpoints/roadblocks from the Umuahia-Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway to Umuahia-Ohafia highway, from the Umuahia-Owerri highway to Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene highway.

For instance, from Abia Tower in Umuahia, to Osisioma Junction, Aba; a distance of less than 50 kilometres, there are not less than 10 checkpoints/roadblocks manned by the military, police, Customs and Federal Road Safety Corps personnel, at the discomfort of the motoring public.

The experience was not different on the Umuahia-Uzuakoli-Akara-Ohafia highway. A distance of about 35 kilometres, this road plays host to about 11 checkpoints along its stretch.

Apart from the extortion going on at these checkpoints, at the slightest of security breach in any part of the state, commuters using these roads are made to suffer undue hardship.

For instance, when gunmen shot and killed some soldiers in Aba, commuters going through checkpoints along the Umuahia-Uzuakoli-Akara-Ohafia were forced to disembark from their vehicles, with two hands raised above their heads in total subjugation.

They were meant to walk in most cases, up to 1,000 metres across checkpoints on that road and indeed any other road for that matter.

A journalist traveling from Aba to Umuahia sometime last year, was forced by soldiers to come down at one of the checkpoints from the commercial bus he was traveling in and his phone seized for using it to write story while inside the bus.

If what happen at the checkpoints on highways in the state is bad, what go on at checkpoints in the city centres are indescribable.

There was the report of soldiers at a military checkpoint close to one of the popular markets in Aba, forcefully closing sections of the market for several weeks as a result of attack by gunmen on another checkpoint over five kilometres away.

It was at the same checkpoint that soldiers reportedly seized the phone of a young lady for allegedly making phone call about 100 metres before approaching the said checkpoint.

Kalu Ude, a motorist said the checkpoints are no longer needed since they have in no way abated insecurity in the state.

A community leader, Chief Ebere Ugwu said ?the numerous checkpoints we have in the state are no longer serving any good. Instead, they are causing problems for commuters who have to pass a lot of intimidation and harassment going through them.?

Anambra

The Enugu-Onitsha Expressway is one hell of a place for commuters. While motorists were disposed to parting with money at the ?collection points,? their lot is worsened by the unnecessary gridlock that delays free flow of traffic on the highway.

Aside the various checkpoints ranging from the army, police, civil defence, NDLEA, FRSC and even civilian taskforce enforcing emblem of produce on heavy-duty trucks, these features are clearly money minting machines for the enforcers.

Between Amansea and the expressway to Onitsha Head Bridge, at least nine security checkpoints exist there.

On the old road through Amansea to Immigration Junction by Agu Awka, five security checkpoints dot the short distance.

Soldiers who mount the checkpoints also station civilians who collect money from commuters on their behalf while the NDLEA reportedly had a POS operator stationed where unsuspecting members of the public who fall victim withdraw and pay cash.

The army checkpoint before the UNIZIK main gate causes a lot of gridlocks as soldiers barricade the only passable lane of the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway, causing vehicular movement to reduce.

Few metres away from the army checkpoint at the Unizik, exists another army checkpoint very close to Stanel Filling Station, which also causes traffic delays. From old road to Awka, there are police checkpoints at the border between Awka and Ugwuoba.

After the border, there is another police checkpoint immediately after the ?Slaughter market? Garki.

Sunday Sun noted that after the Garki market, there was another police checkpoint at the entrance of Games Village, Awka.

Then, next door is the army checkpoint opposite the International Conference Centre, Awka.

From the police checkpoint at the Zone 13 headquarters, along Awka-Onitsha Expressway, was a Naval checkpoint at Awkuzu Junction before meeting another army checkpoint, just some minutes? drive from Umunya.

At Amansea-Ebenebe Junction, there was also a civilian taskforce enforcing either emblem or produce from heavy duty trucks conveying food items through the state. (Sunday Sun)

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