Report shows South East lost to corrupt security, roadblock extortioners
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Up to N2.8 trillion was extorted in three years from South East residents as ramson to terrorists, security operatives at road blocks, corrupt revenue agents, and other criminal elements including non-state actors, according to a report.
The report released by International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) came from a research it conducted between July 2020 and July 2023.
The study shows “deployed security forces and other government agencies are more criminal and atrocious than non-state criminal entities and criminalities constitutionally mandated to the former to uproot and contain.”
Intersociety said there are more than 6,000 police and 2,500 military roadblocks across the South East.
It also cited more than 50 armed groups, with some directly linked to state actors.
“The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has carried out fresh field studies which found that an estimated N2.8 trillion or $3.5 billion belonging to hardworking, self reliant and lawful citizens of Eastern Nigeria was lost at gunpoint in three years of July 2020 to July 2023,” the report lamented.
“The amount had risen from ‘blue-collar’ corruption and other corrupt practices perpetrated by armed state actors and armed non-state actors cutting across the eleven Eastern Nigerian states of Edo, Delta, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo, Abia, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and Rivers a period covering July 2020 to July 2023.”
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Proceeds of criminal activities
“The whopping N2.8trillion proceeds from state actor and non-state actor criminal activities had come from police and military roadblocks (N670b); Governors’ squandered security votes (N400 billion); extortions by militant Government agencies (N700 billion); and police security to VIPs/institutions (N30 billion), the report said, according to Vanguard.
“Military/police house burnings/lootings (N150 billion); ransoms/robberies by armed non-state criminal entities (N400 billion) and other crime proceeds from armed non state criminal entities (N200 billion).
“Added to the estimated N660 billion police/military roadblock extortions is an estimated N200 billion arising from ‘police custodial extortions (i.e. ‘bail fees’ and ‘cash mobilisation’ for arrests, investigations and court arraignments.
“An estimated N60 billion was also linked to gunpoint seizure and conversion of ‘crime proceeds’ by various police crack squads across the eleven Eastern states (i.e. gunpoint money transfers and cash seizure and conversion of seized automobiles, motorcycles and other expensive personal belongings) especially those seized from slain and arrested citizens undergoing criminal investigations.
“The totality of the above is to say that criminal monies have taken over security and governance duties in Eastern Nigeria.”
Intersociety explained the latest report is a follow-up from its main report of 18 July 2023 which identified six major triggers of insecurity and other unsafe conditions threatening Nigeria with genocide or complex humanitarian catastrophes in the past eight years since June 2015.
That report traced insecurity and other unsafe conditions to the quest by the administration of former President Muhammad Buhari to plunge Nigeria into an Afghan model “Islamic Caliphate”.
Other identified triggers of insecurity in the report include:
- The “Buhari’s C-in-C above the law licence [for] Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen”
- The “Buhari’s C-in-C operational death code to security chiefs against defenceless citizens of Eastern Nigeria”
- “Over-bloating and squandering of the Governors’ security votes”
- “The lack of political will and sincerity by former Governments of Nigeria under …. Buhari/the Governors/Governments of the South-East”
- “The security sector corruption and operational crudities”
The report was jointly signed by Intersociety board Chairman Emeka Umeagbalasi, a criminologist; Chinwe Umeche, Head, Democracy and Good Governance; Obianuju Igboeli, Head, Civil Liberties and Rule of Law.
Others are Ndidiamaka Bernard, Head, International Justice and Human Rights; Chidinma Udegbunam, Head, Campaign and Publicity; Ositadinma Agu, Head, International Contacts and Mobilisation; and Samuel Kamanyaoku, Head, Field Data Collection and Documentation.
8,5000 police/military roadblocks as means of extortion
The report added: “It was also found that discriminatory and vindictive handling styles and incompetence of Nigerian Governments have dangerously escalated insecurity and other unsafe conditions to the extent that several victim-populations have been pushed to the wall and forced to resort to violent self helps or reprisal radicalism leading to the springing up of no fewer than 50 non-state armed revenge and counter-revenge groups responsible for the present ‘eco-politico-religious criminalities’, out of which over 30 of the 50 armed groups are linked to Islamic jihadism across Nigeria and 20 others engaging in ‘politico-economic criminalities’ ravaging Eastern Nigeria.
The report said there are an estimated 6,000 police mounted roadblocks on Trunk A (federal roads), Trunk B (state/inter-state roads) and Trunk C (local government/community roads) motorised roads spreading across the eleven states of Eastern Nigeria (South East and South South).
“The above is on average of 550 police roadblocks per state mounted by over 40,000 police personnel in all on average of seven extortionist police personnel at each roadblock.
“At minimum of N60,000 estimated to be illicitly collected daily by each of the estimated 6,000 police roadblocks, N360 million is illicitly pocketed daily, N10.8 billion monthly and N130 billion yearly; further translating to N390 billion-N400 billion, illicitly collected from motorists and other road users at Eastern roads between July 2020 and July 2023.
“There are also an estimated 2500 military roadblocks involving 25,000 military personnel on state average of 250 military roadblocks – with an estimated ten military personnel at each military roadblock.
“At an estimated minimum of N100,000 illicitly collected daily by each of the estimated 2,500 military roadblocks, a minimum of N250 million is illicitly collected daily, N7.5 billion monthly and N90 billion yearly further translating to N270 billion from July 2020-July 2023; totaling N670 billion from police and military roadblock extortions from eleven Eastern states’ roads in the past three years of July 2020 to July 2023.
“The Onitsha/Ogbaru Nigerian Naval checkpoint at Uga Junction/Atani Road Junction in Anambra State, for instance, illicitly collects and pockets not less than N400,000 daily from sand excavators, tipper lorries/haulage vehicles, commuter buses, tricycles, etc.”