06/11/2024
EYE WITNESS AND INVESTIGATIVE REPORT ON THE EXCESSIVE POLICE AND ARMY ROAD BLOCKS ON EASTERN ROADS
PART ONE.
Writen By: A Concern Igbo Citizen
South eastern Nigeria, otherwise known as Igbo land, has in recent times has become a beahive of extortion point, and a zone where the Nigerian army and police forces used mainly for extortions purposes rather than providing security of lives and properties of the citizens, as well as maintaining law and order.
But the reverse has became the case as they have turned themselves into agents of destabilization of peace in the region, and are also aiding criminal activities by hoodlums.
But before we go into the detailed narrative of the topic above, lets look at the reasons why there should be road blocks or checkpoints on the highways, or major roads as sanctioned by a state or a government.
Police checkpoints on highways are established for several reasons, which includes;
Crime prevention and detection which involves to prevent and detect criminal activities such as robbery, kidnapping, and smuggling.
National security which helps to protect against potential security threats, such as terrorism or espionage.
Intelligence gathering that helps to gather information on potential criminal activity or suspicious behavior, to mention but a few.
In a nutshell, checkpoints helps to maintain law and order, protect citizens, and ensure public safety on highways.
But unfortunately to the Igbo territory and to the Igbo people of Nigeria, the excessive checkpoints are established to denigrate, suppress, extort and suffer the Igbos with impunity and utter hatred.
In this article, a whole lot of investigations has been carried out and here are the few reports. Although, many will be coming on the part two and three of this investigation.
If anyone is traveling between Awka, Amansea axis down to Orji na-Ato, at Uwguoba in Enugu State, one would notice that the number of police and army checkpoints on that road alone is more than thirty checkpoints, in less than three kilometers, just before you get to four corner junction, on the major expressway.
But unfortunately, none of these checkpoints are up to 30 meters from each other, yet, there's a lot of crimes and crimal activities such as kidnapping, car snatching etc, which is going on along these roads.
To some extent, some of these crimes will happen in not less than 15 meters from where these extortion points, they calls 'checkpoints' are located.
As if that was not enough, these army and police on these checkpoints will order every vehicle plying that route to stop at a distance of about four electric poles, and all the passengers will be ordered to come down from the vehicle at that point, and will use leg to walk from the four polls down to the checkpoints, walks past it before entering back into their various vehicles and continue with their journey.
Remember that in this emergency and enforced exercise, the elderly and sick ones who are traveling from their villages to the township to receive medical care are not exempted, they are also among those who were forced to get down from the vehicle that they are traveling in, and will walk in agony and pains on foot through the checkpoint barricade before entering back to their vehicles.
Now tell me the reason for the police and army for being there in the first place, if not for extorting our people and making them look like slaves in their own land. Meanwhile, is there any other way to spell the word 'WICKEDNESS' than this.
Moreover, when one travels from FOUR CORNER area, along the expressway, going towards Ituku Ozalla, which is close to UNTH down to Nenwe junction, these opressors in police and army uniforms are also there, oppressing and extorting ndi-Igbo and any motorists plying that route with the most form of impunity.
Worst still is that they never cared to check or even search any of those vehicles which was vacated by its occupants when they are ordered to get down, but all they cared about is the money they are collecting from the motorists, which means, if any of these vehicles are carrying exhibits and other dangerous weapons, they don't want to know, and they don't care, hence those dangerous weapons would be used to destabilize the peace and the economy of the southeast.
Have we now seen the reason why there's a lot of insecurity in the one time, most peaceful region in the country despite the heavy presence of the army and police checkpoints.
More revelations will be coming on the part two and three of this article. Stay with us.
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