A pan-Igbo group. the Cultural Credibility Development Initiative has asked the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor and Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, to reduce the “humongous number of checkpoints” leading into Igboland from Lagos and Abuja by 75 per cent, lamenting the monumental suffering of travelers especially this Christmas and New Year season.
In separate letters to General Irabor and IGP Baba, Chief Goddy Uwazurike (President) and Pastor Steve Nwabuko (Secretary) of the Cultural Credibility Development Initiative said travelers are facing “suffocation” and untold sufferings with the long lines that form at the checkpoints.
Stating that “The suffering is unbearable,” the group said that “it takes about five hours to travel from Lagos to the outskirts of Asaba, Delta State. But it takes about six hours to cover the distance from the outskirts of Asaba to the Niger Bridge.”
According to the letters, “We are writing to bring to your attention the suffocation caused by the humongous number of checkpoint in Igboland.
“Sir, for the avoidance of doubt, a traveler from Lagos to Igboland sees checkpoints every one kilometer up to the outer-ring road of Benin City. The traveler from Abuja sees checkpoints every kilometres until he reaches the Delta North fringe.
“The two sets of travelers are subjected to the horror of a checkpoint every half a kilometer.
“The distance between checkpoints is reduced to 200 metres once a travelers crosses the Niger Bridge. This Niger Bridge obstruction with checkpoints causes five kilometer backlog of cars in a traffic snarl.
“Sir, we are presenting the actual situation of things in Igboland. Today, it takes about five hours to travel from Lagos to the outskirts of Asaba, Delta State but it takes about six hours the distance from the outskirts of Asaba to the Niger Bridge. The suffering is unbearable.
“We do by this letter seek your intervention to have mercy on travelers by reducing the strangulating number of checkpoints by 75 per cent.”
Last year, Senator Chukwuka Utazi, representing Enugu North, raised similar issues, stating that there are 60 police checkpoints between Lagos and Onitsha, Anambra State.
Utazi lamented while moving a motion on the floor of the Senate that the checkpoints were being used to oppress motorists and cause them hardship, saying that if they are no reduced before Yuletide season, travelers would face “horror” on the roads.
“Sixty checkpoints is what a traveller and the motoring public will have to confront in order to move from Lagos to Onitsha. You know what that means especially this Christmas period. The Senate will not renege on our responsibilities when the masses of this country complain that government police meant to protect them has been turned into oppressive conduct by those concerned and which the IGP and people of his ilk may not be aware.”
The Senator had urged the Police IGP to direct his officers to eschew all forms of extortion on motorists while carrying out their checks, saying that while roadblocks are necessary to curb criminal activities, its abuse is reprehensible.
But the resolution of the Senate on the reduction of the number of checkpoints were ignored.