Gains, losses of BAN on police CHECKPOINTS

A former police checkpoint at Berger

When the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, issued an order banning police checkpoints nationwide last February, many Nigerians doubted that the order would be obeyed.

Two months later, a luxury bus conveying female students of a secondary school from Onitsha to Lagos was attacked by armed robbers on the Sagamu-Benin Expressway at night. The incident ignited reactions from many Nigerians across the country.

Some people questioned the competence of the police in that state, while others blamed the incident on disgruntled policemen who were not pleased with the ban on road blocks but Nigerians have realised that the ban has come to stay.

For some Lagosians, the gains of the ban far outweigh the perceived losses. A businesswoman, Mrs. Linda Affe, said the ban was a welcome development. She said, “Unnecessary traffic gridlocks have virtually disappeared from the roads since the IG banned checkpoints. Also, there is a marked reduction in accidents resulting from the presence of checkpoints. These days, we hear less of extra judicial killings by policemen harrassing motorists over N20 or N50. I think the only people that will be affected by the ban are policemen themselves. It is because their regular source of extra money has been cut off. But if the IG really wants a better police force, there must be a total cleansing of the system.”

To a member of the staff of an accounting firm, the gains of the ban are evident in terms of less time spent in traffic jams. She said, “Recently, my husband and I drove from Lagos to Benin City. Although the road wasn’t in good shape, we spent just four hours on the road as opposed to six hours or more if we have had to stop at every police checkpoint.

“The police should just go about their normal activities in their patrol vans. However, I have noticed that policemen are more aggressive these days. If you fall into their trap, they would seize the opportunity to extort money from you mercilessly. Apart from that, driving is now more pleasurable because we no longer have to interact with them. However, I would like the IG to address this issue of policemen carrying assault rifles around on the road. There should be some other alternatives.”

The next two respondents dismissed fears of lax security as a result of the ban. One of them, Abass Oyewale-Freeman, said, “I don’t see any difference in the security situation in Lagos since the ban on checkpoints. Even when the checkpoints were there, the policemen were not doing anything related to security. They were just busy extorting money. So, to a great extent, the ban has been effective because there is now free movement of persons without harassment from the police.

“However, improving the welfare of the police will go a long way in strengthening the ban. Poor pay should not be isolated from the attitude of the police. I was at Ojodu Police Division yesterday and to my surprise, they had no functional vehicle to meet a rapid response call to crime.”

An accountant, Dele Olusanya, hailed the ban as a positive development. He said, “All the time the checkpoints were on the road, they were just causing traffic jams. It didn’t in any way help the crime situation and now the checkpoints are off the road, I don’t believe the crime rate is any worse off for it. The use of patrol vans in maintaining security is much better.”

But some commercial motorcycle operators in the Orelope-Egbeda area of Lagos expressed a different opinion. One of them, who gave his name as Olamide Akinola, said, “Although it is good that the police checkpoints no longer exist, okada riders seem to bear the brunt of the ban. Policemen now lie in wait at street corners for unsuspecting okada riders. They disguise themselves in mufti whenever they do this in the day time.

“You don’t have to commit any crime. As long as you ride an okada, you are an easy target and a potential source of income. At night, the situation is worse. Policemen move around in their patrol vehicles seizing our motorcycles for no reason and expecting us to spend the day’s earnings and more to regain possession of our motocycles. In fact, the present situation is almost unbearable.”

When CRIME DIGEST contacted the Force Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Frank Mba, for his reaction to the development, he said, “I think it is wrong for anyone to conclude that policemen dressed in mufti are now harassing okada riders. During my stay in Lagos, I witnessed touts masquerading as tax officials, state or local government employees, and sometimes as members of the transport union, harassing and extorting money from commercial bus drivers. In those instances, I have effected arrests upon which I then realised they were fake. “For anyone driving past and witnessing such a scuffle, it is easy to reach a conclusion that those men in mufti are policemen. We should be given the benefit of the doubt.

“I can tell you that lots of policemen are pleased about the ban on checkpoints. The IG is currently on a formation tour and everywhere he has met with policemen, they have expressed their pleasure.

“These persons who are proud and happy to be police officers want to see a refocused and vibrant police force and would support any positive effort to that effect. As it is, there are internal control measures to check the few bad eggs in the force such as the IG and CP monitoring teams. We don’t just police the society, we also police ourselves.”

Mba said the IG planned to strengthen internal security by intensifying road patrols, while stressing the importance of the ban. He said, “The police checkpoint has outlived its usefulness as a crime control tool. It was impeding the free flow of traffic, defacing the landscape and had become a centre of extortion and intimidation. For those afraid that the ban would have a negative effect on crime, the fear is just psychological. Checkpoints are known to all so any criminal can easily devise means of avoiding the road block.

“Besides, Nigerians have been saved so much, in terms of time and money. The monetary value of the ban might run into billions of naira. The psychological trauma, stress and extra-judicial killings that sometimes accompany unpleasant exchanges between policemen and commuters have been eliminated too.

“To strengthen motorised patrols on the highways, the IG has ordered the purchase of 300 patrol vehicles. This is just part of the ongoing efforts to adopt a high visibility policing strategy. There would be strong observation points maintained by policemen without unnecessarily obstructing movement.

“Apart from this, we intend to carry out a massive deployment of undercover operatives. These operatives would not have contact with any motorist. They would just stay at strategic areas, observe things and pass information to policemen who are in uniform. Those in uniform will then be involved in rapid response.”