Security agencies extorting motorists, sabotaging COVID-19 lockdown in Rivers State | The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News

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“Also, before this lockdown, it took us about three days to come from the North to the South South, but now, we spend over six days on the road and sometimes, before we get here, some farm produce like onions, tomatoes, pepper would have been damaged.”

Investigations revealed that security personnel deployed to enforce the directive at different locations in the state have allegedly turned their duty posts to revenue-generating points, where they extort motorists and other travellers at will.

Apart from being extorted, the truck drivers spend between two to three days queuing at the border before they are cleared by the security operatives after rigorous negotiations. This delay exposes perishable items like tomatoes, pepper, watermelon, onions, potatoes among others to damage. Alhaji Mohammed Wusari, a truck driver, told The Guardian at Mbiama border: “In the North before now, vehicle owners charge us N400, 000 for any trailer that is going to Port Harcourt, but now, it has risen to N700, 000 due to several settlements, at different locations, in various states. Yet when we get to this border, we still pay between N50, 000 to N70, 000 to security agencies before we are allowed to enter the state.

He disclosed that those, who travel through the major Elele-Owerri route pay higher at the border post, adding that each passenger also pays N500 to enable him/her to cross with the driver, while those following inner routes pay less. For instance, on March 28, 2020, just two days after the Governor Nyesom Wike announced the lockdown, a soldier, Private BJ Lazarus, was seen allegedly aiding a truck driver from Rivers State to enter into Imo State through Ubimini Community in Emohua Local Council before he was intercepted by the President of Ubimini Youths, Mr. Ikechukwu Wordu, who is also a member of the COVID-19 compliance monitoring team in the area.

Alarmed by the ugly development, which had been going on for some time, Governor Wike had during a state-wide broadcast on Monday, April 27, berated security agencies for allowing travellers to enter and leave the state at will, despite the border closure. Speaking after monitoring the compliance level of the lockdown in both councils, Wike alleged that the police chief “is issuing illegal letters to companies to defy the curfew,” stressing that “it was unfortunate that the deputy commissioner of police in charge of operations in the State would issue letters to companies to operate in defiance of the executive order of the state government.

Source: News Formal (newsformal.com)

 

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Government need to hold security operatives responsible for the spread of the virus due to porousness of the borders. Their primary objective has been jettison and carry on with their regular stomach infrastructure..it really needs urgent attention.

cant u see that nigeria is a fail state? you keep on writing about a country that has no future!!! its a pity!!!! majority of nigerians had strip off their nationality. read along the lines, you will see it boldly written

This is why we need our rail to be working and also air refrigerated compartments

What happens to our railways Why can’t the railway system be used My God🤦🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️

Tell them to stop packing Almajiri together with food. That way, there will be no too much check by d security personnel

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