• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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Reps ask IGP to remove illegal checkpoints on Nigerian roads

Reps ask IGP to remove illegal checkpoints on Nigerian roads

The House of Representatives on Wednesday at plenary mandated the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali-Baba to ensure the removal of illegal and unnecessary police and military checkpoints along the roads across the country.

The House also directed the Police Boss to remove all the wooden barriers across the roads as it affects the lifespan of roads and mandated the Committee on Works to investigate the status of road concessions that have been given out the past six months and report back within two weeks for further legislative action.

These resolutions were sequel to the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance, ‘on the need to investigate the loss of many lives along the Onitsha-Owerri express road within Ihiala Federal constituency,’ sponsored by Chudy Momah, (APGA, Anambra).

Moving the motion, Momah noted that for over two years, military and police checkpoints in lhiala Onitsha-Owerri express road has been operational to quell insecurity in the area.

He however lamented that road users have since been subjected to devastating, degrading and inhumane treatment occasioned by the operation of the Military and Police Check Point in that area.

According to Momah, no one is spared as all suffer under the weight of the oppression as Men, women, children are forced to alight from their cars and raise their hands and pass through the checkpoint.

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He recalled a recent accident involving three vehicles on the Onitsha-Owerri Ihiala road, claimed the lives of three children and Six Adults according to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) as the driver upon sighting the Police checkpoint, tried to apply the brake but couldn’t, thus resulting in the fatal accident (according to eye witness).

The lawmaker also reflected that most recently on Saturday the 28th day of November 2021 a trailer carrying a container load of goods ran over twenty public road users who died on the spot.

He said: “Nursing and pregnant women are also. not-spared; in fact, nursing mothers are _ made to carry their babies up high as they walk across the checkpoint, ‘ sometimes being forced to walk for over 1km: Very recently, a pregnant woman on a bike was whipped thoroughly at the military checkpoint.

“Traditional rulers are also stopped and searched in an embarrassing manner including ransacking of their traditional attire. Cognizant that the military and police checkpoints are located in the middle of the busiest road in the entire local government area, opposite Abbot Boys Secondary School Ihiala and opposite Ihiala Divisional Police headquarters both located within the same axis, an area that ought not to be associated with a military checkpoint.

“As is popular knowledge, military checkpoints are to be stationed at border communities. Thus, this military checkpoint ought to be mounted at Amorka community, which is the border between lhiala Local Government and Imo state and not its current location, which is a commercial hub crammed with markets, businesses, schools, etc.”

Contributing in support of the motion, Yusuf Gagdi (APC, Plateau) who agreed that activities of security agencies must be checkmated, however, said citizens too must be cautioned not to make laws in their own hands.

He said: “Issue of insecurity has always echoed in the 9th Assembly legislative agenda. Here we have communities with checkpoints for the purpose of protecting the lives and properties of the people as one of the primary responsibilities of government. I think we must caution them to be careful of the way they discharge their constitutional responsibility, not to stampede the rights of the citizens of those communities.

“However activities of security agencies must be checkmated, they shouldn’t take maintenance of laws and order for granted, but the citizens of this country whose security presence is for their own good, should equally not take that for granted to even start putting themselves together in the name of attacking police formations. We must be careful, the motion is good, I support it but the citizens too must be cautioned not to take laws into their own hands.”

Adopting the motion, the House observed a minute silence for souls of those that have lost their lives in various accidents at the police and military checkpoints along the Onitsha Owerri road in Ihiala Federal constituency especially the fatal accident of Sunday 28th November 2021.