Rights groups to Buhari: Dismantle police road blocks in S/East

President Muhammadu Buhari has been urged to direct the Inspector-General of Police, IGP, to remove road blocks mounted by his officers on South East roads. President Buhari The Campaign for Democracy, CD, and Human Rights, Liberty Access and Peace Foundation, HURIJE, in a joint statement called on the President to order for immediate dismantling of all road blocks in the South East which have become haven of corruption, extortion and intimidation.

The statement signed by Dede Uzor A Uzor, Chairman, Board of Trustees, BoT, of HURIJE and National Publicity Secretary of CD, said there were not less than   hundred road blocks mounted by the Police in different roads in the South East.

They said from Onitsha to Owerri, there are about 25 road blocks; Enugu-Porthacourt, 28; Enugu -Owerri, 16; Onitsha-Enugu, 24; Onitsha -Orlu, 18 among others. The group said while the Police gave the checkmating of criminals as reason for   mounting these road blocks, it had become clear that the road blocks had become “oil well” for the Police authority and officers. “

They do not provide the expected security again. They have grossly abused road blocks. Road blocks have outlived their usefulness. They should be scrapped and dismantled immediately. Why is it that it is only in the South East that the Police mounted larger chunk of their road blocks? You don’t see much of Police road blocks in the North and West but here, they used road blocks to extort money from traders and other road users,” said the groups.  Vanguard