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We’re being treated like slaves at checkpoints — S’East road users

Published

2 years ago

August 28, 2024

Nigerian soldiers at checkpoint

We’re being treated like slaves at checkpoints — S’East road users

Many people using major roads in the South-East region say they are still being subjected to harrowing experiences at various security checkpoints.

Motorists in a report by Vanguard accused the security agents especially soldiers of open extortion and passengers were being embarrassed intimidated and humiliated.

They said passengers, irrespective of their age, health status or weather condition, were made to disembark from their vehicles to cross the checkpoints on foot, to rejoin their vehicles which are only allowed to meet them across the checkpoint after the driver must have been forced to cough out some money. Their journey is delayed without apology. No commuters and motorists would dare make or answer telephone calls near or around the checkpoints, no matter the emergency of the call.

This is reportedly done with impunity; a situation said to be subduing an entire region.

This subduing mentality at the checkpoints is said to be getting out of hand.

Despite cries and complaints by Ndigbo leaders, including members of the National Assembly caucus, against these degrading practices, the military and police high command are yet to call their men to order.

It’s daylight robbery —Rights group

Speaking to this, Comrade Emeka Umeagbalasi, a trained criminologist and board chairman, Inter-society for civil liberty and rule of law, a foremost rights advocate, described the level of extortion on the roads in the region as daylight robbery.

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“It is a horrible situation but let me start by saying that what we have in the South-East now is a combination of state actors and non-state actors, armed robbers; that is armed robbers in the sense of highway robbery through massive extortion.

“If you look at the military law, for Instance, the provision of Armed Forces Act 2004, has provisions for offence against extortion and the law clearly explains extortion as a way of obtaining money or any other material through the use of force. And it is being rapaciously and indiscriminately perpetuated on South-East roads. Yet nobody has been punished according to the law. What is happening on South- East roads is a very horrible experience.

“This is a situation where the people of the zone and people plying the roads in the region have been subjected to torture – physical and physiological. You see a situation where people face intimidation, harassment and sometimes random arrest and abduction, especially at night hours. Those who embark on night travels are subjected to more horrible experience in torture, intimidation and harassment. It is a terrible situation in the South-East since 2015, and worst of all is that it is being perpetrated by the military.

“There is this culture of impunity. There are two things that are responsible for the inability to tackle this siege mentality and intimidation in the South-East. One has to do with the increasing or alarming rate of impunity where the military officers seem to have lost control of the junior ones, because one thing about corruption is that if you want to fight corruption in an organisation, the anti- corruption pusher has to start with the leaders who are operating the system. So, if you are an employer and you lead the way of corruption; what do you want your employees to do? They will follow your footsteps. So, that is the situation we have.

“The second factor is the ‘returns’ culture. Every military\police officer is (allegedly) a beneficiary of the large scale extortions. This is not the issue of whether their senior officers are aware. They are fully aware and they benefit from the extortion and that is why it is thriving.

“For instance, the Nigeria Naval Base in Ogbaru has a checkpoint at Uga junction in Onitsha, Anambra State; and a lot of money is extorted there on a daily basis. There is direct and indirect extortion. Everyone around there, including the petty trader, is being extorted. The officers posted there, in a short time, change their cars and begin to live large. Any one of them that stays between 6 months and one year would have several commercial tricycles, shuttle buses and even L300 buses plying for them.

“The same thing goes on at the Asaba Army checkpoint at the Onitsha-Asaba end of the road. If you go to Abia, Anambra, Enugu, Imo and Ebonyi states, the entire South-East region, checkpoints are dotted at short intervals, and it is the same business at each of them”, Umeagbalasi lamented.

Continuing, he said: “I think we are facing three sets of wars in the South-East, first the presumed genocide by security operatives; secondly the Jihadist Fulani herdsmen and bandits, and thirdly, the rise of both government and non- government-linked criminal entities, counterfeit agitators and others who specialise in sundry street violent activities like kidnap for ransom, armed robbery, trafficking in persons, illicit drug and illegal arms.

“And it is difficult to tackle because today in Nigeria, over 800 civil society organisations that ought to speak against these ills have government links. They are the people spoiling the work of civil society organisations. They are being funded by the government and therefore can’t challenge any evil action by the government.”

Umeagbalasi, therefore, called on the few independent civil society organisations and media to wake up to their duties and ensure that these ills are stopped.

We’re being treated like slaves at checkpoints — S’East road users

Related Topics:Checkpoints Featured South EAst

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Boko Haram/ISWAP Attack Borno Police Station, Kill Four Officers, Hunter

Published

15 hours ago

April 5, 2026

Trends Admin

Boko Haram/ISWAP Attack Borno Police Station, Kill Four Officers, Hunter

Suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists have killed at least four police officers and a local hunter in coordinated attacks on security posts in Borno State, underscoring the persistent threat of insurgency in the region.

The attacks occurred in the early hours of Saturday, April 4, 2026, targeting the Nganzai Divisional Police Headquarters and a Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF)/Hunters duty post at the Malam Fatori IDP Camp in Damasak, Mobbar Local Government Area.

According to ASP Nahum Kenneth Daso, Police Public Relations Officer in Borno, the Nganzai police station came under fire at about 1:00 a.m., with terrorists deploying Rocket-Propelled Grenades (RPGs) and other sophisticated weapons in an attempt to overrun the town. Police officers, supported by the Police Mobile Force (PMF), Crack Squad, military personnel, CJTF members, and local hunters, engaged the insurgents in a fierce gun battle, ultimately repelling the attack and restoring normalcy.

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Despite the successful defense, four police personnel “paid the supreme price”, while a section of the police station was damaged, and an unserviceable Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) was partially burnt.

Almost two hours later, at around 2:40 a.m., insurgents attacked the CJTF/hunters’ post at the entrance of the Malam Fatori IDP camp. One hunter, Atom Abua, 40, was killed, and about 20 thatched houses and properties were destroyed. Combined security teams prevented further loss of life and property.

Following the attacks, Commissioner of Police Naziru Abdulmajid deployed additional personnel and operational assets to the affected areas to strengthen security and prevent further incidents. He commended the bravery of officers and local defenders, extended condolences to the families of the deceased, and reassured the public of the command’s commitment to bringing the attackers to justice.

Security experts note that the attacks highlight the enduring insurgency threat in Borno State, where Boko Haram and ISWAP continue to target security installations and vulnerable communities despite ongoing counterterrorism operations. Authorities have urged residents to remain vigilant and cooperate with security agencies.

Boko Haram/ISWAP Attack Borno Police Station, Kill Four Officers, Hunter

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NDLEA Arrests Lagos Pastor, Wife With 11kg Skunk Cannabis

Published

15 hours ago

April 5, 2026

Trends Admin

Pastor Afolabi Hodonu and his wife, Mrs. Success Hodonu

NDLEA Arrests Lagos Pastor, Wife With 11kg Skunk Cannabis

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a Lagos-based pastor and his wife after discovering 11 kilogrammes of skunk cannabis concealed in specially modified compartments of their vehicle.

The suspects, Pastor Afolabi Hodonu, 45, in charge of the Celestial Church of Christ, Agonvi Sea Beach, Sakpo area of Seme border, Badagry, and his 35-year-old wife, Mrs. Success Hodonu, were apprehended on Thursday, April 2, 2026, at the Gbaji checkpoint along the Seme border, Lagos.

According to NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, the couple was intercepted during a search of their Honda Pilot SUV, where officers recovered blocks of highly potent skunk cannabis hidden in secret compartments. Babafemi revealed that the arrest was linked to a previous seizure on March 30, 2026, when a suspected fake security agent, Sunday Samuel, was caught transporting 24.5 kilogrammes of skunk through the same checkpoint. Subsequent investigations led to the pastor and his wife.

“The arrest of Pastor Hodonu and his wife is part of our ongoing intelligence-driven operations against drug traffickers hiding behind legitimate businesses, religious titles, or elaborate concealment methods,” Babafemi said.

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The NDLEA has also conducted several other operations across Nigeria, leading to:

Seizure of 3.10 kilogrammes of cocaine at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, hidden in tins of palm kernel extract bound for the UK, leading to multiple arrests, including syndicate leaders in Lagos.
Arrest of a female drug supplier in Borno State, 28-year-old Aisha Adamu, with 4.3 kilograms of Colorado cannabis linked to bandit groups operating in the North East.
Recovery of 48,000 tramadol pills in Adamawa State and 1,378 kilograms of skunk in a warehouse in Edo State.
Arrest of a suspected drug dealer in Ibadan using her 11-year-old daughter to distribute drugs.

NDLEA Chairman and CEO, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers for the successful operations, emphasizing the agency’s commitment to dismantling drug networks nationwide regardless of the traffickers’ status.

The pastor and his wife are currently in NDLEA custody and will face prosecution as investigations continue. Authorities have warned that drug trafficking in Nigeria carries severe legal penalties and that no individual is above the law.

NDLEA Arrests Lagos Pastor, Wife With 11kg Skunk Cannabis

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Hajiya Hadiza Attahiru Jega, Wife of Former INEC Chairman, Dies in Abuja

Published

16 hours ago

April 5, 2026

Trends Admin

Hajiya Hadiza Attahiru Jega and former Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman Prof. Attahiru Jega

Hajiya Hadiza Attahiru Jega, Wife of Former INEC Chairman, Dies in Abuja

Hajiya Hadiza Attahiru Jega, wife of former Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Attahiru Jega, has passed away in Abuja, officials confirmed on Sunday, April 5, 2026.

The news was announced by Bayero University Kano through its official social media channels.

“Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un. With total submission to the will of Allah, we announce the passing of Hajiya Hadiza Attahiru Jega,” the statement read, expressing sorrow and prayers for her family.

Hajiya Hadiza Attahiru Jega

According to the university, her Janazah (funeral) prayer is scheduled to take place immediately after Zuhr prayers at the National Mosque, Abuja, on Sunday, with burial proceedings to follow.

The institution prayed that Allah grant her Aljannatul Firdaus, forgive her shortcomings, and give strength to her grieving family.

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The university’s Director of Public Affairs, Lamara Garba, also confirmed the death, urging the public to offer prayers and support to the Jega family.

“Yes, it’s true. May the Almighty Allah forgive her shortcomings and grant her family patience to bear this loss,” he said.

Hajiya Hadiza was widely respected for her contributions to education, community service, and support for her family, especially in northern Nigeria.

Her death has drawn condolences from friends, colleagues, and public figures across the country, highlighting her influence and the respect she commanded in social and academic circles.

Her husband, Prof. Attahiru Jega, is a distinguished academic and public servant, known for his tenure as chairman of INEC; president of Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) and his contributions to national policy and governance.

The passing of Hajiya Hadiza Attahiru Jega marks a significant loss for both her family and the broader Nigerian academic and civic community, with funeral arrangements reflecting her standing and the high regard in which she was held.