Human Rights Group , Intersociety tackles Delta state over Christmas

Intersociety Tasks Delta State And Southeast Governors And Their
Security Agencies To Ensure Road Traffic And Hitch Free Xmas/New Year
Activities
(Intersociety, Onitsha Nigeria, 16th of December 2016)-The
International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law
(Intersociety) has written the Executive Governor of Delta State, Mr
Ifeanyi Okowa; demanding that he mobilizes members of his State’s
Joint Security Taskforce or JTF, for the purpose of ensuring free and
unobstructed movement of vehicles, goods and persons along
Onitsha-Asaba-Benin Expressway; particularly from the Old Asaba
Tollgate to the foot of the ailing Niger Bridge in this Xmas/New Year
period as well as saving the ailing and 51 years old Niger Bridge from
imminent collapse.
The letter, dated 15th of December 2016 and titled:2016 Xmas Season:
Ensuring Free Flow Of Traffic And Decongestion Of The Ailing Niger
Bridge From Its Asaba End, follows our field observation that there
exists about four roadblock obstructions from the Old Asaba Tollgate
to the foot of the ailing Niger Bridge; caused by various branches of
security agencies in Delta State particularly the Federal Road Safety
Corps, the Special Anti Robbery Squad, the General Duty or Regular
department of the Delta State Police Command and soldiers drafted from
the 302 Artillery of the Nigerian Army in Onitsha.
For instance, when we visited, there were and still are personnel of
the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the Special Anti Robbery
Squad (SARS) of the Nigeria Police Force at Asaba end of the Old
Tollgate; stationed at the centres of the double lanes of the Road,
causing obstructions and gridlock. At Oko Junction, there are
personnel of the Regular or General Duty branch of the Nigeria Police
Force; engaging in silly and flimsy checking of vehicular papers and
wares with intents to extort; and at the foot of the Asaba end of the
Niger Bridge, there is a military roadblock, causing a snail pace
movement of vehicles, wares and other road users.
We had in the letter to Delta Governor called on him to mobilize the
Delta State Joint Security and Road Emergency outfits for the purpose
of decongesting the areas under reference. We further demanded that no
unit of the referenced outfits particularly all units of the Delta
State Police Command and the Delta State Sector Command of the FRSC
should be allowed to mount roadblocks or station their personnel at
the centre of both lanes of the Onitsha- Asaba-Benin Expressway.
It was also part of our demand that all the units of the Delta State’s
Joint Security Taskforce should be made to join in decongesting the
areas under mention and ensure free movement of vehicles and citizens
in this Xmas/New Year period and that the Delta Governor should,
importantly, get the authorities of the Nigerian Army to get their
personnel to retreat from the centre of the Asaba end of the foot of
the ailing Niger Bridge.
We added that all military drums mounted at the centre of the Asaba
end of the Expressway and the foot of the ailing Niger Bridge must
also be removed and tents, if not already exist, should be set up for
them by the corner of the Expressway, from where they can watch over
and ensure smooth and speedy movement of vehicular, goods and persons
in this Xmas/New Year period.


On the same account, the Southeast Governors and their various
security agencies particularly the Army, Navy and Police are reminded
of our earlier demand that all roads in the Zone must be free of
security obstructions particularly in this Xmas/New Year period.
Mounting of roadblocks for the purposes of flimsy checks on vehicular
papers and roadblock extortion must not be condoned and tolerated this
critical festive period. The Federal Road Safety Corps officials
stationed at the foot of the ailing Niger Bridge, harassing and
extorting road users as well as mobile police personnel stationed
under the ailing Bridge who have become serial extortionists, must be
made to disappear from the centres of the Bridge’s link roads and
quarantined at the road corner.
Governors Willie Obiano of Anambra State, Rochas Okorocha of Imo
State, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State and
Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State should routinely lead members of their
Joint Security Taskforces to their strategic road boundaries and
connecting routes to ensure that their people returning home for Xmas
and New Year festivities are not trapped on account of corruptible,
negligent and other unprofessional conducts of security agents such as
soldiers, navy and police personnel stationed on Southeast roads who
serially engage in extortion and its associated “returns” for their
commanders and bosses.
Where roads are horribly bad and impassable, the Governors must
provide palliatives to ensure free movement of vehicles, goods and
persons. In Anambra State, for instance, Governor Willie Obinano
should ensure that Nnobi-Igboukwu Road is made passable. Also Nnobi
Junction, Nkwo Igboukwu Junction, Uga Community Roundabout, Ekwulobia
Roundabout, Nwagu-Agulu Junction, Agulu-Nanka Junction, Amawbia-Nise
Roundabout, Nkpor Roundabout, Ugwu-Nwanosike Roundabout Ogidi, Owerri
Road and Obodoukwu Junction, etc, all noted for their notoriety in
traffic gridlock particularly during Xmas and New Year period; should
be placed in the top priority list of the Government of Anambra State
earmarked for this festive season’s road decongestion projects, if
any.
In addition to our ongoing undercover monitoring of criminal conducts
of soldiers, police and navy personnel on Southeast roads particularly
as they concern extortion and other corruptive and abusive conducts,
we appeal to citizens particularly the road users to capture
electronically as much and as expertly or discretely as possible those
soldiers, navy and police personnel collecting N100, N50, N200 or N500
naira notes from commercial trucks and motorists and send the images,
their locations and dates to [email protected]. Attachment of
senders’ identities is strictly optional.
Signed:
Emeka Umeagbalasi, Board Chairman
International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety)
Mobile Line: +2348174090052
Email: [email protected]
Obianuju Joy Igboeli, Esq.
Head, Civil Liberties and Rule of Law Program
Mobile Line: 2348180771506