The dismantling of all security checkpoints in the area has been demanded by the Coalition of South East Youth Leaders or COSEYL.
The coalition’s President General, Goodluck Ibem, said in a statement on Tuesday that the appeal came after reports of the Nigerian military allegedly treating drivers inhumanely at checkpoints in the South East.
The coalition claims that the military checkpoints on Southeast routes have been transformed into a location where innocent Nigerians are subjected to varying degrees of inhuman treatment for refusing to pay bribes or complaining when a driver pays a bribe.
According to Ibem, depending on the troops’ mood, trucks are required to pay up to N2,000 to N3,000 each truck, buses pay N500 to N1000, and cars pay N200 to N500.
We demand the immediate removal of all military checkpoints and roadblocks in the South East because they are no longer necessary, he said.
“We demand the immediate arrest and conviction of those soldiers who took bribes on our roadways and contributed to the zone’s loss of security.”
