Senate tells IG of Police to reduce checkpoints on highways

 

• As veteran journalist Tony Onyima counts 60 checkpoints Lagos-Onitsha

 

BY OUR EDITOR

The Senate has urged the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Adamu to reduce the number of checkpoints on federal highways in the country.

This, according to the Senate, had become necessary to reduce the gridlock on the roads.

The resolution was reached following the consideration of a motion by Senator Chukwuka Utazi (PDP- Enugu North) during plenary on Thursday.

The upper chamber also urged Adamu to direct officers of the Nigeria Police to eschew all forms of extortion on motorists as alleged.

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The Senate’s resolution is coming barely a week after veteran journalist and former managing director of Sun Newspaper, Mr Tony Onyima, reported that a total of 60 security checkpoints dot the highway from Lagos to Onitsha.

Onyima had taken a fact-finding trip to Onitsha by road, in order to acquaint himself with the true state of the highway, following complaints of insecurity and dilapidation on the federal road, a major artery to the South-South and South-East parts of the country.

“Concerned by the increasing complaints about the pains of Nigerians plying the Lagos-Onitsha route, I decided to seize an opportunity on Wednesday, November 27, 2019 to find out the real situation.

“For complete experience, I travelled with one of the transporters at Jibowu. After an excruciating traffic along Redeemed Church corridor, we finally commenced the journey to Onitsha at 10:30am.

“By the time we arrived the Niger Bridge (Onitsha), I had counted 60 checkpoints. I was painstakingly taking notes and few shots. These checkpoints were manned by either (a unit of) soldiers, police, customs, SARS, FRSC or a combination,” Onyima recounted in his report, a copy of which was made available to RELIABLESOURCENG.COM

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Utazi’s motion, coming under order 42 and 52 of the Senate Standing Rules, was entitled “National Security versus Disproportionate Road Checkpoints on Federal highways in the country”.

The senator said that the national security architecture of Nigeria had been stretched beyond its elastic limits.

According to him, acts of criminality had put pressure on the country’s national security architecture, necessitating and compelling security agencies to confront security breaches headlong.

According to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the legislator said while road blocks were necessary to curb criminal activities, its abuse for unintended purpose was reprehensible.

All the resolutions were adopted by the senators after a voice vote by President of the Senate Ahmad Lawan.