Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has alerted the newly sworn-in Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, that soldiers did not respect his order to withdraw them from mounting roadblocks so as to be deployed purely for counterinsurgency and other internal security operations.

In a statement, HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, regretted that whilst the enthusiastic minister of defence may have been deceived into believing that his order withdrawing soldiers from roadblocks was obeyed, HURIWA said contrary to the expectations that soldiers fundamentally are trained to obey the orders of their commanders, it is unfortunate that in all of South East of Nigeria, it was observed during the Yuletide season that it was business as usual in the hundreds of roadblock vexatiously set up by soldiers and police bearing arms and ammunitions but who were noticed been busy extorting drivers passing through these barricade and constituting severe traffic difficulties for road users.

HURIWA recalled that the new defence minister stated that the withdrawal of soldiers from checkpoints is among his most important strategies for fighting insecurity and insurgency.

The defence minister, a retired general, said police officers and personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) would take over checkpoint duties from the military.

He said this while responding to questions during his screening at the Senate.

For decades, soldiers have manned checkpoints across Nigerian roads, especially in volatile areas, to support civil authorities in maintaining security.