A non-governmental organisation, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), has accused police and military personnel of extorting ₦21.8 billion from roadblocks in the South-East geopolitical zone within two months.
Chairman of Intersociety, Emeka Umeagbalasi, revealed it in a statement saying that the police allegedly pocketed ₦15 billion, while the military acquired ₦6.8 billion between December 2024 and January 2025.
According to Umeagbalasi, the Uga Junction and Atani Road Naval checkpoints in Onitsha, Anambra State, are the most lucrative, allegedly yielding over ₦600 million from extortion at gunpoint.
He said the personnel of the Nigerian Armed Forces and the Nigeria Police Force in the South-East seized no less than ₦21.8 billion from civilians during the Christmas and New Year periods under gunpoint extortion and related practices.
He said the findings showed that at least 300 direct military roadblocks and 500 patrol teams were in the region, with 98% involved in extortion. Each military roadblock reportedly collected an average of ₦100,000 daily, translating to ₦80 million daily or ₦2.4 billion monthly.
Umeagbalasi noted that police personnel who manned about 2,500 roadblocks in the region allegedly made an average of ₦10.5 billion over two months, alongside ₦3.5 billion from barracks extortions and an additional ₦1 billion from other forms of corruption.
When breaking down the extortion of the police, Imo State generated ₦2.94 billion, Anambra State ₦2.52 billion, and Ebonyi State ₦1.26 billion.
Umeagbalasi pointed out that the actions violated Section 108 of the Armed Forces Act, which prescribes a 14-year jail term for military personnel involved in extortion, and Section 99 of the Criminal Code Act, which criminalises police roadblock extortion with penalties of up to seven years in prison.
He urged the government to take immediate steps to check these corrupt practices, enforce existing laws, and hold culprits accountable.