The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has called for an end to extortion at checkpoints and other wrong practices by law enforcement officials.

The NBA made the call in reaction to an incident on November 11, 2024, in Utu Etim Ekpo, Akwa Ibom State, where a flour-loaded truck pursued by soldiers lost control and crashed into shops, resulting in the death of three individuals, including a legal practitioner, and causing severe injuries to several others.

NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, in a statement on Wednesday, said the incident once again brought to light the dangers associated with indiscriminate roadblocks, the use of logs of wood to distort the free flow of traffic, the uncaring attitude of law enforcement agents at checkpoints, high-speed chases through civilian areas, and extortion at checkpoints.

He lamented that some of these roadblocks were set up at bad points of roads, making the free flow of traffic in both directions impossible.

Osigwe said experience shows that the roadblocks, which pose serious risks to road users and residents, are more intended for extorting drivers and other road users rather than for security and law enforcement.

He pointed out that articulated vehicles could fall at some of the checkpoints while navigating the logs of wood or other materials used to slow down vehicle movement, adding that vehicles could also run into some of the obstacles during the hours of darkness.

“When roadblocks are seen or used as sites of extortion, they erode public trust and respect for the very institutions meant to ensure security and public safety,” he said.

He insisted that the current format of checkpoints only serve to punish road users, impede traffic, and make it easier for road travelers to be extorted by the different security agencies that man them.

The NBA President called on law enforcement agencies to review the type of roadblocks being set up by their officers as well as take steps to ensure that the hardship and extortion that go on there are stopped forthwith.

He condemned security forces that compromise public safety and cause hardship to road travelers, just as he called upon the Nigerian Army to investigate the Akwa Ibom incident and bring to book those found wanting.

To prevent a similar incident, Osigwe said security agencies need to train and retrain their personnel on proper engagement and pursuit protocols to avoid endangering lives and property, adding that reckless pursuits in populated areas and high-speed chases should be strictly prohibited.