Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar
The presence of illegal police checkpoints in some parts of Lagos State has become a source of worry to road users.
Such checkpoints are on the roads such
as LASU-Iba; WEMPCO in Agidingbi; Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, (Berger end);
Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway and some roads in Ikorodu.
Motorists, commercial drivers and
articulated vehicle drivers expressed outrage over the development,
saying it was contrary to the directive of the Inspector-General of
Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar.
They said with the checkpoints in many parts of the state, the era of extortion and brutality by policemen had also returned.
In March 2012, Abubakar had said his directive on roadblocks would not be reversed.
He had reasoned that the suggestions
that checkpoints be returned to the highways because of robbers did not
suffice, arguing that when they were in place, crimes on the roads took
place.
A commercial bus driver, Ndidi Nwokolo,
who narrated his recent ordeal in the hands of policemen that mounted
roadblocks on LASU-Iba Road, said they intimidated and extorted N3,500
from him.
Nwokolo said, “I was coming from Iyana
Oba one day when a group of policemen, some in uniform while others were
in mufti, flagged me down. Without hesitation, I stopped. One of them,
brandishing his gun, retorted, ‘open your booth’.
“After searching my booth thoroughly
without finding anything incriminating, he asked me to bring my
particulars. I showed him my vehicle particulars. Still, he was not
satisfied. He said my conductor would go with them to the station. I
enquired to know the reason for that. He said they sighted him afar
hanging. To the best of my knowledge, my conductor was not hanging.
“I went down to beg them with a Customs
officer and they did not accept. They asked the Customs woman to go.
When she left, I was compelled to part with N3,000 before they left me.”
A motorist, who identified himself simply as Adewale, said he had encountered policemen at checkpoints four times in four weeks.
He said they almost shot at his car when he hesitated to stop at Ikeja near the railway station at 11pm.
“When I eventually stopped, there was a
barrage of verbal attacks. ‘You think you are clever. If you do not
behave yourself, we will waste you. Imagine, you refused to obey lawful
order to stop.’ I started begging them because I noticed they were very
angry. At the end of the day, I had to part with some money before they
let me go.”
As for Jimmy Ogunde, his experience last Thursday at Berger was simply horrendous.
He said he became afraid when some policemen in mufti flagged him down.
He said, “Initially, I did not know they
were policemen. From afar, I saw people brandishing torches. When I got
closer, I saw they were people in mufti. I drove past; little did I
know that those in uniform were in the front.
“They ordered me to come out of the car.
I asked what I did. They said I refused to stop when I was flagged
down. I told them that I thought the people were criminals. They became
angrier, saying, ‘How dare you call us criminals? I started begging. I
was left but not without ‘wetting the ground’.”
PUNCH
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