Road Users have fingered some Policemen and army Officers stationed along Porthacort/Owerri and Porthacort Aba road of conspiring with hoodlums to extort innocent citizens amid economic ‘Hardship’.
During investigation by Impartial Observers last week, army Officers stationed after the boundary between Abia and Rivers State checkpoint were seen using hoodlums to ask commercial drivers, including motorcyclists to pay money before passing.
Also, Army Officers stationed at Imo gate junction, along Aba Porthacort road were captured, using suspected hoodlums, appearing in indecent look to control traffic authoritatively, and extort commercial vehicles where a road construction is ongoing.
Impartial Observers sighted over five military checkpoints from Obuzor in Aba road to Oyigbo town, where military operatives employed hoodlums over twenty in number to extort commercial vehicles.
On a chat with our correspondent, some commercial drivers alleged that the security officers would make it difficult for them to transport passengers in the park if they did not pay their daily dues to the hoodlums.
A commercial driver who simply identified himself as Eze, claimed that he spends (#2,500) in each trip to settle policemen along Owerri road to Porthacort Checkpoints .
He said, “this economic Hardship is not for policemen stationed along this Owerri Porthacort Road because we pay them more than the Federal Government.
“The worst is that the policemen will block the road with drums and irons to compel you stop for search, after stopping they will demand for money, if you don’t comply your passengers will be offloaded thereby frustrating you. It is annoying, we can not do anything because they are the government.
“Army Officers stationed at Checkpoint before Imo State University of Agriculture in Obinze have agents that collect money from us daily.
“for this reasons transporters, we decided to add money on transportation because aside from the fact that the price of fuel has increased, we also have to settle all these agencies on the road and sometimes, it becomes unbearable.”
However, concerned individuals have urged Commissioners of police in Abia, Imo and Rivers State to investigate illegal security Checkpoints in their Area.
A truck-mate who spoke to our correspondent, revealed that the Checkpoints only exist in the day time, whereas in the night no single security operative can be found in the road.
The truck-mate who did not reveal his identity revealed that government contractors have taken advantage of Police and civil defense Officers as revenue taskforce to sale their Stickers.
All efforts to get the reaction of the States Police and Army Public Relations Officers, proved abortive as at the time of filing this report.
