- Nigeria Police, Army turn security check points to cash points in the South East zone
- Motorists, passengers relive ordeals in the hands of the police, army on the high
- Rights groups condemn the act, call for immediate action as police, Army keep mum on the ugly trend
Motorists and indeed passengers plying Federal highways in the South East geopolitical zone of Nigeria are currently not in the proper mood as security agents stationed to secure these roads have allegedly turned them to cash points.
The south-east geo-political zone of Nigeria (Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo States) has become notorious for a peculiar brand of corruption, where security checkpoints have been transformed into cash points.
Nevertheless, one of the major worries of road users in the region is their encounters with the police and soldiers at these checkpoints.
Recall that recently, a police officer, Inspector Sani Suleiman, attached to Otuocha Area Command in Anambra East Council Area, killed a young man at a checkpoint over his alleged refusal to pay a N100 bribe.
According to a fellow driver who witnessed the incident: “We were in the queue at the checkpoint waiting for the police officers to pass us before we suddenly heard the sound of a gunshot.
The incident caused chaos and panic as some youths in the area mobilised against the action of the police before they eventually drove off from the scene.”
Though the affected police officer had, however, been disarmed and detained for further investigations and internal disciplinary procedures, tension is still high as security agents in the area have continued their extortion spree unabated.
WITHIN NIGERIA findings showed that policemen and in some cases, soldiers manning these checkpoints have turned extortion into a lucrative business, preying on unsuspecting commuters, car, and tricycle drivers.
Checks showed that the modus operandi is straightforward: security personnel flag down vehicles, subjecting occupants to unnecessary searches and harassment.
The primary objective is not to ensure security of lives and property but to extort money from drivers and passengers.
WITHIN NIGERIA investigation showed that the situation is particularly dire for young men driving exotic cars, who are often profiled, vilified, and targeted for extortion.
However, with such growing extortion and harassment by the security agents on the road, transport fares in those areas have continue to skyrocket with many drivers pulling out some flash points of extortion.
In a bizarre twist, some security officials now carry point of sale (POS) machines, which they use to withdraw various amounts of money from victims’ accounts.
Motorists, passengers narrate their ordeals
One of the drivers, Mr. Ndukwe Ifeanyi told WITHIN NIGERIA that the situation is daily becoming unbearable.
Mr. Ndukwe who plies Nsukka/Port Harcourt told our reporter that, “this is often justified under the guise of investigating suspicious financial transactions or alleged involvement in cybercrime. Young men who drive exotic cars in the zone are always at the receiving end of such electronic transfer extortion.”
Explaining further, he stated that “the reality, however, is that these security personnel are more interested in lining their pockets than in enforcing the law. This is a clear case of being in a helpless situation. We have complained several times but the authorities seemed not to be interested in our complaint. They see us as cash cows which they milk any time, any day. We are hereby appealing to the government to see to it that these security agents don’t see this as an opportunity to make money but to safeguard the society in which we are.”
In any case, another driver who gave his name as Hillary Nwodo told WITHIN NIGERIA that the ugly trend has robbed the zone the necessary security checks it should be carrying out to avert incessant killing, kidnapping and other security threats in the zone.
“I am not against check points in the zone. But I am totally against using the checkpoints to extort innocent motorists and passengers on the highway.”
Mr. Nwodo who plies Nsukka/Enugu/Onitsha express way told our reporter that “ my greatest worry is that even with the high number of checkpoints along these highways, there is also unprecedented increase in the crime along the road.
“For instance, kidnappers now operate freely along Nsukka/Opi/Ugwuogo Nike road even though there are more than fifteen checkpoints from Nsukka to Enugu.
“Last Tuesday, these hoodlums kidnapped more than seven passengers at different places at different times, yet there was checkpoint few metres away from their point of operation. So, what is the need for the checkpoint if the security agents cannot guarantee the security of the road users? I think that is my major worry.”
Analyzing the situation, he said, “however, not justifying the checkpoints which have now become cash points the phenomenon of security checkpoints as cash points is not only a manifestation of corruption but also a symptom of a broader societal problem which is very concerning.
“The perception that young men driving exotic cars are likely involved in nefarious activities, such as “419” (obtaining by false pretenses), is a stereotype that perpetuates harassment, extortion, wickedness, criminality, and injustice.
“This culture of extortion has far-reaching consequences, eroding citizens’ trust in the security apparatus and undermining the rule of law.
“It also perpetuates a sense of arrogance and impunity, where security personnel feel emboldened to engage in corrupt practices without fear of accountability.”
Also narrating his experience, a truck driver who pleaded for anonymity mentioned the Army checkpoint at Ariam Ikwuano on the Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene road, as one of the worst checkpoints in Abia State.
“They now collect N5000 per big vehicle at that checkpoint. Before, they were collecting N2000 but now, they insist on N5000, that is why I have stopped plying that route. There is also another checkpoint between Ikot-Ekpene and Aba. They collect N2000 per vehicle there.”
Group lament the situation
As the situation continues to worsen, last week, a group under the aegis of Igbo National Council (INC) Worldwide has revealed that about 98 security checkpoints exist in the five states of the Southeast region.
It also lamented what it described as incessant harassment and extortion from citizens and motorists by the security personnel manning the checkpoints.
In a press statement issued by its National Coordinator, Chilos Godsent, and made available to WITHIN NIGERIA, he revealed that Abia State topped the list with 37 checkpoints followed by Imo State with 23 checkpoints.
It further revealed that Anambra and Enugu have 15 checkpoints each, as Ebonyi came behind with 8 checkpoints.
The press statement further stated that the research was carried out by the directorate of human rights protection, a research department of the council with the mandate of checking human rights violations by various security outfits in the region.
It further stated that the council was propelled to embark on the task following a series of reports from members of the public on the humiliations they were encountering in the hands of the security personnel on a daily basis.
Godsent further stated in the press statement that some of the checkpoints are manned by a joint task force, comprising the military, police and civil defense, while at some blockades it will be either the military or the police.
He stated that even though the group was not happy with the rate of insecurity in the region, the security operatives should carry out their operations with human face.
The group pointed out that if the security personnel kept to rules of their professional engagement, it would build a healthy relationship between them and the civilians who also have responsibility of helping the security outfits in the fight against criminalities.
But the group, however, regretted that the checkpoints and outposts have allegedly turned to illegal toll gates and humiliation points against civilians who are the road users.
In their reaction, another South East group has also frowned at the ill-treatment of road users in the region. They accused the police and soldiers at the checkpoints of treating commuters and motorists in the zone as prisoners of war.
Speaking under the aegis of Coalition of South-East Youth Leaders, COSEYL, Igbo youths decried the level of humiliation motorists and commuters are subjected to at the various checkpoints across the zone, and called for an immediate stop to the dehumanising treatment. They demanded the immediate dismantling of all military and police checkpoints in the zone ahead of the yuletide. They argue that the presence of roadblocks escalates insecurity in the region.
President-General of COSEYL, Comrade Goodluck Ibem said: “The Federal Government should dismantle all military and police checkpoints in the South-East with immediate effect. Our people suffer so much at these checkpoints. People spend hours at these checkpoints in the region; it does not happen in other parts of the country. Sometimes, passengers are forced to alight from their vehicles and trek across the checkpoint. This is unacceptable.
“Even during war time, people are not subjected to such humiliation and inhuman treatment. Security agents are treating South-Easterners like prisoners of war.
“They even contribute to the high cost of food items in the markets because trucks conveying foodstuff from the North to South-East pay at least N3000 at every checkpoint. Some insist on N5000; a truck coming from the Northern part to the South-East spends up to N25,000 just on security agents at checkpoints alone. This is open robbery.
“Their presence even escalates insecurity because they are only collecting money and not there for the people. It doesn’t stop insecurity. Security is all about intelligence-gathering and not standing sentry on the roads to extort money from hapless motorists.”
On Thursday, December 30, The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) accused police and military personnel of extorting a staggering ₦21.8 billion from roadblocks in the South-East geopolitical zone within two months.
According to a statement by the Chairman of Intersociety, Comrade Emeka Umeagbalasi and made available to WITHIN NIGERIA, the police allegedly pocketed ₦15 billion, while the military netted ₦6.8 billion between December 2024 and January 2025.
Umeagbalasi described the Uga Junction and Atani Road Naval checkpoints in Onitsha, Anambra State, as the “most lucrative,” allegedly yielding over ₦600 million from extortion at gunpoint.
Umeagbalasi stated, “The deployed personnel of the Nigerian Armed Forces and the Nigeria Police Force in the South-East seized no less than ₦21.8 billion from civilians during the Christmas and New Year periods, under gunpoint extortion and related practices.”
The findings revealed at least 300 direct military roadblocks and 500 patrol teams in the region, with 98% involved in extortion. Each military roadblock reportedly collected an average of ₦100,000 daily, translating to ₦80 million daily or ₦2.4 billion monthly.
Police personnel manning about 2,500 roadblocks in the region allegedly raked in an average of ₦10.5 billion over two months, alongside ₦3.5 billion from barracks extortions and an additional ₦1 billion from other forms of corruption.
State-by-State Breakdown of Police Extortion
Imo State: ₦2.94 billion, Anambra State: ₦2.52 billion, Abia State: ₦2.1 billion, Enugu State: ₦1.68 billion and Ebonyi State: ₦1.26 billion.
He highlighted that the acts contravened Section 108 of the Armed Forces Act, which prescribes a 14-year jail term for military personnel involved in extortion, and Section 99 of the Criminal Code Act, which criminalizes police roadblock extortion with penalties of up to seven years in prison.
He urged the government to take immediate steps to curb these corrupt practices, enforce existing laws, and hold perpetrators accountable.
However, all efforts to get the reaction of the Nigeria Police Force and that of Nigerian Army on the matter proved abortive as they are yet to make an official statement on the issue.
When our reporter called the Force Public Relations Officer, Force Headquarters, Olumuyiwa Adejobi for comment, he could not pick his call just as his Army counterpart Major-General Onyema Nwachukwu also picked and dropped our reporter’s call. Subsequent calls by our reporter were ignored by the Army image maker.
Discussion about this post