It's near impossible to drive about 10 km within the South East region of the country, without literally meeting Three(3) or more checkpoints of either that of the military (Navy, Army) or that of the police. It not a new thing for those of us that have spent over 55% of our lives living within the region, seeing security forces' checkpoints here and there.
The worst part of it all is that Owerri road axis,
Anyone plying that axis steady, can attest to it.
From the foot of the first Niger bridge to Enamel junction down to the second Niger bridge interchange at idemili, through Owerri road, you will meet 3 navy checkpoints and 1 Army checkpoint at upper iweka, opposite chisco park, Lagos park, Onitsha to Enugu express way, that's a distance of less than 10 km within Onitsha.

Anambra road commuters lament alleged extortion by military

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Motorists and residents plying the Onitsha-Owerri road have lamented the alleged extortion by the military, who mounted checkpoints at the Enamel junction and the Obosi By-pass axis of the federal road.

The Enamel junction is located in Ogbaru Local Government Area, while the Obosi By-pass is located in the Idemili North Local Government Area, a few kilometers apart.

The Onitsha-Owerri road, which links motorists from the Upper Iweka axis to other communities in Anambra State, has been in a poor state for years, causing gridlock daily.

Due to the 6 am – 6 pm curfew placed on some local government areas, including the Ogbaru LGA, by the state government, the military personnel have resorted to extorting motorists who ply the section of the road by past 6 pm, the commuters alleged.
Some motorists who spoke to journalists on Monday complained that the military checkpoints, particularly the Enamel junction, had become a “detention camp” where motorists were detained and sometimes subjected to various forms of punishment, ranging from frog jumps to sitting on the bare floor.

Our correspondent gathered that, as a result of the curfew, tricycle operators pay N200, shuttle bus operators pay N500, while heavy-duty vehicles pay N1,000 upwards at the checkpoints, depending on the loads they carry.

A resident of Awada in Idemili North LGA, identified as Catherine Osondu, who said she plies the road to her residence daily, lamented that on Sunday, she and other passengers were detained by soldiers at the Enamel junction for simply looking at the military personnel while they were sourcing for change (balance) for the tricycle operator carrying them.

Osondu said, “At about 6:47 pm on Sunday, when the Keke that carried us got to Enamel, the Keke rider gave the military personnel N500, and as they were sourcing for change, they forcefully ordered us to alight. They later gave the Keke rider N300 change and ordered him to move while they ordered us to stand by the roadside.

“They started querying us for looking at their faces while they were sourcing for change for the Keke rider. They detained us for more than an hour.

“Some other victims who tried to resist were also forced to do frog jump in our presence. It was a funny experience that evening. I didn’t know that it was now a crime to look at the faces of soldiers.”

The leader of the Tricycle Riders Association in the area, Jude Eche, called on the state government to cancel the curfew imposed since June so that the military would not have any reason to extort motorists.

He said, “We are always at the mercy of the soldiers at Enamel and Obosi By-pass checkpoints every evening. On Sunday night, there were complaints that some persons were detained and some people were made to frog-jump just for flimsy reasons by the soldiers.

“Their activities at the checkpoint in the name of imposing curfew are always causing the road users pain, while they will be looking for change to give bus operators after each payment. This always causes a very long stretch of gridlock every evening.

“Driving along that axis has become a nightmare. We can only appeal to the state government to cancel the curfew they was imposed since June so that these people will not have reasons to continue to extort motorists.”

When contacted, the Chairman of the Awada Central Community Development Association, Gabriel Nkasi, noted that the communities around the area had observed, with dismay, the “negative” attitude of the soldiers at the checkpoints.

Nkasi said although their presence was a way of scaring hoodlums and robbers off the road, extorting motorists because of the curfew was not part of their job, adding that they have turned the checkpoints into business centres.

He said, “We are not against them mounting roadblock. But it should be for surveillance and improving security by curbing crime on the road. Extorting motorists of various amounts of money in the name of curfew restriction of movement is unacceptable, and we urge the authorities to caution them.

“The gridlock caused by their activities coupled with the bad road is always scary and has caused untold hardship on road users. We urge the government to also look at the curfew that has been placed since June and see how they will lift it.”

The state police spokesman, Tochukwu Ikenga, said the state police commissioner had frowned at such activities by the security operatives and urged the members of the public who have fallen victim to such to make an official complaint via the police public complaint line.

“The leadership of the command frown at such (activities) or any other related vices. The Commissioner of Police, on receiving reports of such, has since directed the X-squad team and CP monitoring unit to be on the lookout for such corrupt officers.

“He has equally encouraged citizens to always take advantage of the of control number 07039194332 and the public complaint unit number 08039334002 of the command to report such officer,” Ikenga added.
As of the time of filing this report, the press secretary to Governor Chukwuma Soludo, Christian Aburime, did not respond to calls on his telephone line nor reply to messages sent to him.

https://punchng.com/anambra-road-commuters-lament-alleged-extortion-by-military/?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1668518347

Enamel junction is in Owerri road beside st Lwanga hospital and the defunct FirstBank branch. While Obosi bypass is within the second Niger bridge interchange.

G

A nation in free fall....you can never hear any politician talk about how to tackle organised crime in the military and paramilitary.

Extortion units exist in every uniformed agency of government.

Atleast the current IGP has broken the jinx by opening up before a national tv that the police escort department is a commercial arm used by the police to raise money....this is thesame issue that the transmission_transmission ex-IGP blatantly denied.

Let wait and see maybe soludo will put the blame on obi.

The army has fallen, what used to be the pride of the nation in those days, smh..

Not just anambra, virtually everywhere in the corntree.

Most of them make use of boys to collect money from commuters. It's a pity...

I travel from Abuja to Kaduna and Kano with not a single checkpoint despite bandits being around, but in the South East even within villages where you hardly find cars but bicycles and motorcycles you will find Police and military checkpoints extorting and harrassing commuters at every 1 kilometre distance, and people still wonder why there's some level of indifference when these checkpoints get attacked by unknown gunmen in the South East

Alleged? Something that is open everywhere. Try going from Owerri to Port Harcourt and see for yourself. I remember counting at least 24 checkpoints and that is after the driver had taken escape routes.

Soludo the Noice maker

Soludo - Nwoke Bumshots house boy

Your attention is needed

Meanwhile, this what the bandits and BH terrorists are doing freely and supremely down in the North.

Nigeria military are nightmares to it's citizen.

Anambra too get wahala. Make una rest

Don't know much about the East routes but there are over 50 check points between Ughelli & PH.

I have to be honest, I have never seen the Army/NSCDC extort cars.

It's the Police that collects "Pure water" money. And even at that, they don't force you to pay as long as your papers are complete.

But they disturb commercial vehicles, tankers and haulage trucks alot.

Useless country

It has turned a normal thing though.

Shege pro Max. As long as the people from that Sadie keeps harboring terrorists and UGM, the military will always be at their doorstep.
They should ask the people from the NE what they experienced at the height of Boko haram terrorism.

Please let's support his excellency Mr Peter obi for the president of federal Republic of Nigeria, we are tired of those thief's now,

Without a tribalism and nepotism any sane Nigerian know it's only someone like Peter obi that can now rescue Nigeria from total collapsing, but seriously some ethnic bigot people will just still prefer to hav their own man at the affairs of the country either he is capable or not than to go for what could have been the best solution to all nigerian's current problems, #ObiDatti2023 is certain

T

You don't bring insect or worm-infested firewood into your house and still wonder why Lizards won't let you be...


... I need not say more than the above! Anyone with average intelligence can correlate the meaning to this post!

DamnnNiggarr:
It's near impossible to drive about 10 km within the South East region of the country, without literally meeting Three(3) or more checkpoints of either that of the military (Navy, Army) or that of the police. It not a new thing for those of us that have spent over 55% of our lives living within the region, seeing security forces' checkpoints here and there.
The worst part of it all is that Owerri road axis,
Anyone plying that axis steady, can attest to it.
From the foot of the first Niger bridge to Enamel junction down to the second Niger bridge interchange at idemili, through Owerri road, you will meet 3 navy checkpoints and 1 Army checkpoint at upper iweka, opposite chisco park, Lagos park, Onitsha to Enugu express way, that's a distance of less than 10 km within Onitsha.

Anambra road commuters lament alleged extortion by military

---

https://punchng.com/anambra-road-commuters-lament-alleged-extortion-by-military/?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1668518347

They started querying us for looking at their faces while they were sourcing for change for the Keke rider. They detained us for more than an hour.

Lol, una face resemble buhari face

This state has brilliant people in all walks of life (Obi, psquare, kubana,c money etc) but will rather spend their lives in Yoruba land criticizing d development their assumed dirty Yoruba people has brought to their land and ignoring d mess happening in their village down East.

Man, if u want to criticize me, do that from your village. Don't stand on my land, enjoying d breeze ,security , development and spew trash.

Chukwuma Soludo "It is Peter Obi's fault"

There is. a checking point in ihiala you must pay 500 before you pass, you will also carry the Planck they use to block the road.

That's what Buhari gave the south east, guns bullets and blood

That's the evil Nigeria military is perpetrating in the East

Chai..

Wetin consign militree with collecting N50 from motorists? For what?

Is it for road maintenance or road security?

Everything in this Naija just dey shame us!!