SOLDIERS of the Nigerian Army, deployed under ‘Operation Udoka’, are forcing travellers in the South-East to disembark from vehicles at numerous checkpoints that litter the region, checks by The ICIR have shown.

On getting to any of the checkpoints manned by heavily armed soldiers on major highways in the region, vehicles – both commercial and private – would stop to discharge passengers. The passengers, mostly travellers, will then trek across the checkpoint. On getting to a considerable distance beyond the checkpoint, they will stop and wait for the vehicle that was conveying them.

The driver will then move the vehicle past the checkpoint to meet the waiting passengers, who will subsequently return to their seats in the car.

The journey will continue until the vehicle gets to the next checkpoint, where the process will be repeated.

The ICIR’s correspondent, who experienced the situation while travelling across the South-East states, noted that the development frustrated motorists and travellers in the region.

During a trip from Enugu to Umuahia, Abia State capital, on Friday, July 21, the commercial bus boarded by The ICIR correspondent was made to stop and discharge passengers at eight different checkpoints.

At each of these checkpoints, passengers – both young and old, male and female – had to come down and trek to the other side to wait for the vehicle.

Interestingly, vehicles and passengers are not searched at the checkpoints. But The ICIR correspondent observed that the heavily armed soldiers were alert as they watched the passengers walking past the checkpoints.

During the morning period, when a lot of people are travelling, the checkpoints are usually crowded with so many passengers who disembarked from several vehicles. The vehicles, mostly buses, which had discharged the passengers, will also queue up. They wait until the passengers have walked past the checkpoints before driving through, one after the other, to pick up their passengers.

The ICIR correspondent observed that when the volume of traffic at the checkpoints is high, some passengers have difficulty identifying the particular vehicle they boarded.

The repeated disembarkation at numerous checkpoints is not only stressful, it also wastes time, making the journey last much longer than it should.

The journey from Enugu to Umuahia, which ordinarily should be less than one hour, lasted more than two hours.

“Is this a war zone? It is only in war zones that you can witness this,” an aggrieved passenger muttered as travellers waited for their vehicle to move past the checkpoint and pick them, to continue the journey.

Many passengers expressed anger at the situation. A passenger, who said she has gotten used to the situation, being a regular traveller on the route, explained that she starts her journeys two or three hours earlier than usual in order to meet up with appointments. “If not, you will not arrive on time. You have to add extra one or two hours in order to meet up,” the woman told other travellers.

An old woman, who complained of arthritis, could barely walk across one of the checkpoints and had to be supported by sympathetic co-travellers.

READ MORE HERE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/war-zone-in-south-east-army-is-forcing-travellers-to-come-down-from-vehicles-at-checkpoints/

The army are doing the same thing police did that made them endangered species in the east. When their medicine arrives now people will start screaming.

What concerns civilians with insecurity?

That thing doesn't make sense and no one is speaking up for the South East. Although I understand the security forces are doing that out of caution because 95% of igbos are in support of unknown gunmen. That aside the security forces should devise more modern ways of tackling the issue instead of this humiliating method

If that's all they do, isn't that okay?

You have turned your region into another Somalia where you kill armed soldiers at will... So you don't want them to search any car or bus coming into the cities for weapons and suspects..?

This is what you get when you have another Afghanistan brewing

Seconded

LabourPartyNG:
If that's all they do, isn't that okay?

You have turned your region into another Somalia where you kill armed soldiers at will... So you don't want them to search any car or bus coming into the cities for weapons and suspects..?

This is what you get when you have another Afghanistan brewing

Chekwume16:
That thing doesn't make sense and no one is speaking up for the South East. Although I understand the security forces are doing that out of caution because 95% of igbos are in support of unknown gunmen. That aside the security forces should devise more modern ways of tackling the issue instead of this humiliating method

You couldn't have blamed them
It is part of the trouble which all of them subscribe to

Look at this people complaining about the presence of soldiers..

I don't know when you people will ever be satisfied...

If they are not there, you will complain that the Nigerian government left the south east to be overrun by unknown armed men...

When they are there, you will complain that they are making life difficult for civilians...forgetting that UGMs and Igbos move about as normal civilians until when they want to strike...

I remember that proverb that says "he who brings home ant-infested wood should not complain when lizards begin pay him unexpected homage"


Imagine the report says someone was asking if this was a war zone... The hypocrisy of these lots...

People are killing armed soldiers and police, and you are there asking if it is a war zone.
Can't she/he not see that they have declared war on the Nigerian government already?

You want to eat your cake and have it...

Well it could be a security measure .. if that brings the needed security . Then good to go .

But catching the ugm who do the hits and run is better done with technology

This method was adopted during OBJ time to catch Benin- Nigeria transborder armed robbers or their associates. Lurking in the background to identify suspects were arrested culprits

You called for it.

What's wrong with the o.p and our neighbors from south east? Why will they not come down? U want em to fire upon the soldiers from their vehicle so that u can come online to brag how ipob armed wing, the u.g.m killed soldiers. In south of Nigeria, that u easterners are fast relocating to, can u experience such? No. Because we made sure at d beginning not to allow/ permit Biafra, which is = u.g.m and their likes.soldiers are fully aware that u people called for it cos 99.9% of easterners including u, support ipob/u.g.m/ ESN. If those soldiers leave east, all the remaining easterners living there will either relocate south or west.

Shehuyinka:
SOLDIERS of the Nigerian Army, deployed under ‘Operation Udoka’, are forcing travellers in the South-East to disembark from vehicles at numerous checkpoints that litter the region, checks by The ICIR have shown.

On getting to any of the checkpoints manned by heavily armed soldiers on major highways in the region, vehicles – both commercial and private – would stop to discharge passengers. The passengers, mostly travellers, will then trek across the checkpoint. On getting to a considerable distance beyond the checkpoint, they will stop and wait for the vehicle that was conveying them.

The driver will then move the vehicle past the checkpoint to meet the waiting passengers, who will subsequently return to their seats in the car.

The journey will continue until the vehicle gets to the next checkpoint, where the process will be repeated.

The ICIR’s correspondent, who experienced the situation while travelling across the South-East states, noted that the development frustrated motorists and travellers in the region.

During a trip from Enugu to Umuahia, Abia State capital, on Friday, July 21, the commercial bus boarded by The ICIR correspondent was made to stop and discharge passengers at eight different checkpoints.

At each of these checkpoints, passengers – both young and old, male and female – had to come down and trek to the other side to wait for the vehicle.

Interestingly, vehicles and passengers are not searched at the checkpoints. But The ICIR correspondent observed that the heavily armed soldiers were alert as they watched the passengers walking past the checkpoints.

During the morning period, when a lot of people are travelling, the checkpoints are usually crowded with so many passengers who disembarked from several vehicles. The vehicles, mostly buses, which had discharged the passengers, will also queue up. They wait until the passengers have walked past the checkpoints before driving through, one after the other, to pick up their passengers.

The ICIR correspondent observed that when the volume of traffic at the checkpoints is high, some passengers have difficulty identifying the particular vehicle they boarded.

The repeated disembarkation at numerous checkpoints is not only stressful, it also wastes time, making the journey last much longer than it should.

The journey from Enugu to Umuahia, which ordinarily should be less than one hour, lasted more than two hours.

“Is this a war zone? It is only in war zones that you can witness this,” an aggrieved passenger muttered as travellers waited for their vehicle to move past the checkpoint and pick them, to continue the journey.

Many passengers expressed anger at the situation. A passenger, who said she has gotten used to the situation, being a regular traveller on the route, explained that she starts her journeys two or three hours earlier than usual in order to meet up with appointments. “If not, you will not arrive on time. You have to add extra one or two hours in order to meet up,” the woman told other travellers.

An old woman, who complained of arthritis, could barely walk across one of the checkpoints and had to be supported by sympathetic co-travellers.

READ MORE HERE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/war-zone-in-south-east-army-is-forcing-travellers-to-come-down-from-vehicles-at-checkpoints/

Same thing 10 years ago when we were traveling in the north east. You have a terrorist group operating on your soil, you face the consequences

Another victim mentality cry of ''GENOCIDE'' loading...

That's old story. This has been the situation for a number of years now. Sometimes, there is a complete shutdown of the roads for hours, especially in the early hours of the day.

Every year December when we go home; for the past 3 or 4 years, we come down from our vehicles, except the driver, at least 2 stops along Onitsha - Owerri road precisely, walk down a stretch of road until we're past all the road blocks on that stretch, before getting into the vehicle again.

I'm surprised it is surfacing as if it's something new.

This people have a PhD in wailing and complaining

Ehen nah

To be candid the unwarranted killings in the south East is senseless and what baffles me is that an Average Igbo man/woman is supporting their wicked operations.
e.g,A king was killed in Imo state because he is Against the operation of IPOB in his environment.
IPOB is also setting up Igbo's that resides outside igboland

LabourPartyNG:
If that's all they do, isn't that okay?

You have turned your region into another Somalia where you kill armed soldiers at will... So you don't want them to search any car or bus coming into the cities for weapons and suspects..?

This is what you get when you have another Afghanistan brewing

Is your region more safer

LabourPartyNG:
If that's all they do, isn't that okay?

You have turned your region into another Somalia where you kill armed soldiers at will... So you don't want them to search any car or bus coming into the cities for weapons and suspects..?

This is what you get when you have another Afghanistan brewing

Local Einstein.

Didn't you read the part where they said the car is not searched?

What's the point of this exercise exactly?

DesChyko:
That's old story. This has been the situation for a number of years now. Sometimes, there is a complete shutdown of the roads for hours, especially in the early hours of the day.

Every year December when we go home; for the past 3 or 4 years, we come down from our vehicles, except the driver, at least 2 stops along Onitsha - Owerri road precisely, walk down a stretch of road until we're past all the road blocks on that stretch, before getting into the vehicle again.

I'm surprised it is surfacing as if it's something new.

I was surprised too cos it's almost "standard procedure" for the Army! Some people want to make noise of nothing! Atleast they didnt tell them to walk with their hands above their heads!

This one na child's play compared to BH then ..

Chekwume16:
That thing doesn't make sense and no one is speaking up for the South East. Although I understand the security forces are doing that out of caution because 95% of igbos are in support of unknown gunmen. That aside the security forces should devise more modern ways of tackling the issue instead of this humiliating method

What's humiliating here? When you bring an ant infested wood home, why will you complain of ants in your kitchen

I remember when such happened in porthacourt 2008-09
U will raise ur hand and pass a check point.
There was even rumors that if u pick a call at the checkpoint, u may b shot

Is Just Looking

This is very commendable from the Nigerian army

Foreign Einstein,

Do you want to teach the army how to do their security job?
Because they did not search his vehicle but told him to come out means they do not need to be on the roads again..

iHateFraudsters:


Local Einstein.

Didn't you read the part where they said the car is not searched?

What's the point of this exercise exactly?

LabourPartyNG:
If that's all they do, isn't that okay?

You have turned your region into another Somalia where you kill armed soldiers at will... So you don't want them to search any car or bus coming into the cities for weapons and suspects..?

This is what you get when you have another Afghanistan brewing

Did you read the article or are you too lazy to read?

Was it not reported that the said vehicles are never searched?

Please try to read before you embarrass yourself someday.

LabourPartyNG:
Foreign Einstein,

Do you want to teach the army how to do their security job?
Because they did not search his vehicle but told him to come out means they do not need to be on the roads again..

Local Einstein.

Why hasn't it yielded results since they started python dance?

Armaggedon:
The army are doing the same thing police did that made them endangered species in the east. When their medicine arrives now people will start screaming.

What concerns civilians with insecurity?

You said what concerns civilians with security right? Security is the concern of everyone

duro4chang:
You said what concerns civilians with security right? Security is the concern of everyone

illiterate. Learn to read before rushing to reply.

Armaggedon:
The army are doing the same thing police did that made them endangered species in the east. When their medicine arrives now people will start screaming.

What concerns civilians with insecurity?

IT IS THE SAME PEOPLE YOU CALL CIVILIANS THAT ARE KILLING PEOPLE.THE CHECK POINTS ARE NECESSARY BECAUSE THE EAST IS RESTLESS