End humiliation of travellers at military checkpoints in Abia State - Alex Otti

Addressing the issue after Monday’s State Executive Council meeting held at the governor’s Nvosi country home, the Security Adviser to the Governor, McDonald Ubah, revealed that Otti has warned security agents against such practices.

Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has urged the Nigerian Army to end the alleged harassment and humiliation of travellers at military checkpoints across the state.

According to him, Otti has given a directive on people being subjected to the dehumanising practice of asking people to come down and cross military checkpoints on foot, adding, “You don’t ask people to come down from their vehicles, raise their hands up and cross and tomorrow, you want them to come and give you information.”

Ubah reassured residents of the Army’s commitment to their safety, stating, “There is an exercise that is ongoing, ‘Operation Udoka.’ It is for the safety of lives and property.”

Ubah also shed light on the recent relocation of a military checkpoint where three soldiers were killed last week.

There were reports that travellers are often forced to disembark from their vehicles and cross checkpoints on foot, sometimes with their hands raised, while trucks conveying traders are allowed to pass freely with passengers on board.

“Soon, there will be a regulation correcting that,” Ubah stated, emphasising that no Abia resident should be subjected to degrading treatment at checkpoints.

“The same people who complained about the checkpoint are the same people who said they want them back that the level of kidnapping along that side was becoming unbearable, and that they were living in fear.

“So, Otti, being a listening governor, decided to emplace that checkpoint and what we now did was that we now removed the checkpoint from where it was before to further down, close to the river.

According to him, the checkpoint was reintroduced to curb escalating crimes in the area, including kidnappings.

He said, “They (military) have to come because of the level of crime that has been taking place around that axis. Criminals had a field day. They will kidnap people and cross over to the Imo State side without being accosted.

This was to make sure that all the side roads and tracks that the criminals through which they circumvent the position of that checkpoint were eliminated