Military Unfair To Eastern Travellers, Returnee Recounts Ordeal At Checkpoints

A traveller who identified herself as Mrs Angela Ikpogu, Sunday, said she saw hell at military checkpoints under the scorching sun while returning for New Year’s celebration to Enugu.

She said it was unfortunate that across the entire states that she passed on her way from Ogun State to Enugu, it was only in Imo and Enugu states that she witnessed ‘military inhumanity to travellers’.

Quoting her, “We arrived at a military checkpoint after Owerri in Imo State. The entire passengers were asked to disembark. That was the first time, and it was odd to me. We got to another one, and the same thing happened.

“The worst was along Port-Harcourt expressway. At every kilometre, there is a military checkpoint. And at everyone of them, passengers were made to come down from buses and trek a distance. It’s unfair, especially when the operatives at those checkpoints don’t even search the passengers or the vehicles they were in. Instead, they were busy collecting what looks like checkpoint levies and cracking unnecessary jokes. This practice delayed my journey adversely.”

Ikpogu called on relevant individuals and agencies to intervene.

According to her, “Why are our leaders and civil rights agencies refusing to speak out? The primary role of leadership is people’s welfare. But in our case, nobody cares. The media should escalate this oppression.

“It is an infringement on our fundamental human rights. It can easily be redressed in court but our people seem to be naive.”