When you think a new IGP will improve policing, it gets even worse. If perchance the IGP travels incognito from Lagos to the South-East or South-South this season, he would cover his face in shame weeping for the rubbish force he commands. There are probably more policemen unleashed on these highways than are left to police the rest of the country.

I can report that EGBETOKUN’S POLICE are on the South-East highways solely to extort motorists and travellers; cause chaos and mayhem. They set up ugly roadblocks and stretch out their hands to collect toll. Those who refuse to give are parked and intimidated and delayed as their entire luggage are unpacked at the roadside to overawe them and make their journey miserable.

The roadblocks often cause a long traffic jam, causing traffic to sometimes stretch from one roadblock to meet the next. A journey of about seven hours often ends up taking up 14 to 16 hours.

The Nigeria Police traumatises travellers to submission by wearing them out with long delays. Holiday makers travelling with families including children are put through HELL ON THE HIGHWAY. Accidents and mishaps are rampant on the roads because of the logjam and chaos created by the police.

In my long years as a journalist, I have never seen this kind of siege in any other part of Nigeria. I travelled from Abuja to Adamawa by road a couple of years ago in the heat of banditry, I didn’t see a single police roadblock.

The bizarre roadblocks on South-East roads have been prevalent in the last one decade. I have written about this ugly phenomenon more than half a dozen times. But the situation is worse this year. This is the worst I have seen and IGP EGBETOKUN should cover his face in shame.

Tourists and visitors to Nigeria seeing the mayhem NIGERIA POLICE is visiting on the people will wonder what kind of weird policing Nigeria is practicing in 2024. The ugly roadblocks made up of logs, huge rocks and disused tyres create the scenario of a war zone. But there’s no war, the police are merely criminalising the citizens for daring to travel or for being on the highway. They have turned policing into a revenue-generating job.

The police tollgates in the South-East must be generating millions of naira every day. The grapevine has suggested that this huge daily collection goes up all the way to the IGP’s office. This suggestion of ‘uptaking’ has gone on for so long, and the fact that this heinous act is not checked but gets worse makes many believe there must be some truth in this.

Some would argue that they are securing the place but that’s a fat lie. They are doing everything but security. In fact, their crooked method of clogging the highways creates room for breaches.

Lastly, apart from the fact that this is a huge source of revenue for the police, this calculated targeting, harassment and besiegement of NDIGBO will not augur well for Nigeria. The Igbo, especially the youth, are being radicalised by this sustained EVIL ACT against them. Igbo who ordinarily may not be interested in the Biafra chant would soon begin to see reason why Igbo must go!

We pray fervently that someday, Nigeria shall be blessed with a REFORM-MINDED IGP who will clean up the deep rot in our police.

*Osuji was editor with The Guardian, THISDAY and NewAge. He was for nine years member of the Editorial Board of The Nation. He can be reached at steve.osuji@gmail.com.