Dailyreport
Representatives want the Onitsha-Enugu highway’s checks to be reduced
There should be fewer checks on the Onitsha-Enugu motorway, according to a request from the House of Representatives.Representatives want the Onitsha-Enugu highway’s checks to be reduced
After Rep. Amobi Ogah (LP-Abia) adopted a motion during plenary in Abuja, the resolution was passed.
Ogah, who introduced the motion, voiced concern about the present strategy of erecting an excessive number of security checkpoints, saying that it was ineffective and jeopardised the region’s economic stability.
According to him, the house was well aware that the majority of Nigeria’s security services’ activities involved setting up security checkpoints along the country’s main thoroughfares.
According to the congressman, they comprised the Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC), the Nigeria Army, and the Nigeria Police Force.
“It is unsettling that there are roughly 28 security checkpoints—an average of 3.7 km each—over a 105-kilometer journey,” he remarked.
The parliament urged all security services to refrain from using their positions to harass or take advantage of citizens and to make sure that security personnel behaved legally.
The house approved the motion, stating that the installation of multiple checkpoints along the highway infringed against Nigerian residents’ fundamental right to free movement.
In the South-East, where such degrees of militarisation were more noticeable, the House also directed insults on the dignity of the populace.
It stated, “It is concerning that these security checkpoints seemed to be more of a harassment tactic than a sincere attempt to maintain security.”
In order to investigate other security measures that would not place an excessive burden on people, the house requested the Joint Committees on Defence, Army, and Police Affairs to consult with the Service Chiefs and the Inspector General of Police.
In order to control the number of its checkpoints on the Onitsha-Enugu Motorway, it also required its Committee on Road Safety to communicate with the FRSC Corp Marshal.
The MPs called on the Committee on National Security to lobby for better intelligence collection and community-based security measures, as well as to include its pertinent agencies.
Apart from the use of excessive security checkpoints on the freeway, the MPs believe that this will effectively handle regional security concerns.
To make sure that security personnel follow the law, members ordered the combined Committees of Defence, Police Affairs, and National Security to step up their stringent oversight.
