The growing number of roadblocks and extortions in the South East is causing anxiety and concern for the region as a whole.
Speaking on Friday during the 2024 General Assembly of the Association of Past Presidents General of Anambra State and Association of Anambra State Town Union in Awka, the Vice President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo (Worldwide), Damian Okeke-Ogene, expressed dismay at the growing trend.
Instead of installing roadblocks for security purposes, Okeke-Ogene bemoaned the fact that security personnel wearing different uniforms had persisted in erecting them around the region, especially in order to extort the driving public.
Okeke-Ogene described a situation in which there were over ten checkpoints along the Onitsha to Ekwulobia road, and depending on the time of day, they would demand different amounts of money from drivers.
He said that the money collected from these roadblocks was sufficient to build the third Niger bridge in the area.
He said, “Today, the roadblocks have increased, even to residential areas, and nobody is talking. The level of extortion at these roadblocks is enough to build a third Niger Bridge.
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“You can’t imagine how much they make from those roadblocks. And these are done by intimidation, not voluntary. We must continue to fight against it.”
