Traffic experts and road users have decried horrible state of Nigerian roads coupled with the high increase of police check points turned into pay points by police officers and drivers plying the roads.People who have been on the tracks along the South East roads, Imo, Enugu, Abia, Anambra and Port Harcourt will definitely marvel at the rates of extortion and exchange of money between the officers on duty and drivers on roads.
Imo for instance, one would recall few months ago when the CP Imo state command issued out a communique which sounded as a note of warning to police officers who indulge in such unethical act along the roads in the disguise of stop and search which has metamorphosised to pay points to desist forthwith.Regrettably this trend has continued to linger and cause delay of vehicular movement and unleash corruption across the states.
Meanwhile, experts have hinted the dangers of such extortionist’s act to include delay of vehicular movements, corruption, painting the image of the country dirty before the public, travellers inconveniences, accident and killing of innocent people out of provacation and non compliance of such orders.The worst is that drivers pay up to 500, 100 and 50 Naira respectively according to the directives of these officers on the roads. Even traffic agents and at some points the military personnel at strategic locations collect theirs in a packaged maner where the drivers will park the passengers and walk close to their tents to cash in before the traveling could continue.
9News correspondents took a tour in some of these states mentioned above to confirm the actual positions of military, road safety and police “pay points” along our roads.
Along Owerri/Aba road more than twenty pay points which is supposedly check points where captured.Take a tour to Owerri/Onitsha/Anambra road alot same have constituted horrible slight on the officers .Enugu/Okigwe enroute Abia has turned a horror check points. Away to Ohaji Egbema/Elele towards PortHarcourt, passengers see hell on the roads and complian bitterly on the delay caused by law enforcement officers and their pay tactics on the roads. Along Federal Polytechnic Nekede road, the increase in stop and pay points by police officers could best be explained by students and road users over there.
It is therefore disheartening to recall several SOS sent to relevant agencies and the government to curb this menace and save souls and most especially ease vehicular movements as the festive season sets in speedily.
