Residents of Aba, the Abia State capital, have decried alleged extortion by soldiers at various checkpoints in the town.
They alleged that the soldiers, who were drafted to the town to maintain peace and track down kidnappers, have turned the road blocks into goldmines.
The residents expressed worry that the soldiers cause traffic gridlock with their stop-and-search at the road blocks and force commercial drivers and other motorists to pat with some fixed toll.
It was learnt that drivers who refuse to pay the toll are delayed at the checkpoint until they comply.
At their Aba-Owerri Road checkpoint, the soldiers in front of Abia Hotels allegedly have a young man in his mid-30s as their “toll collecting agent”.
The man usually sits or stands beside a phone caller’s boot to collect money from motorists for the soldiers.
The camouflage, it was learnt, prevents unsuspecting members of the public, especially officials of a task force, from catching them red-handed.
A similar scenario plays out at Faulks Road, in front of LG showroom.
The soldiers at the checkpoint allegedly cause artificial traffic gridlock on the road and making their fortunes from commercial drivers.
They are said to sometimes stay inside a warehouse in a storey building opposite the checkpoint. Bus conductors reportedly pay the toll to the soldiers there and pledge their loyalty or risk being delayed until they comply.
The Nation learnt that the alleged extortion has been going on for over six months.
Some bus drivers said they often cross the checkpoint with nearly empty buses to avoid paying the toll to the soldiers.
A commercial bus driver, who gave his name as Felix, said the soldiers detained him the day he tried to outsmart them.
According to him,, he ultimately paid N100.
Felix said: “They concentrate mainly on commercial drivers. The day I tried not to pay, they delayed me; I had to beg them. I still paid N100 to their agent, who stays some distance from them.”
Another commercial driver, who plies the Abayi-Ngwa Road, said: “I am not against their stop-and-search operations. What I am against is the money they forcefully collect from commercial drivers, not minding what we pass through on the roads.
“It was a similar action, if you could recall, that led to the withdrawal of policemen from checkpoints by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP). If this thing continues, these military guys will be more corrupt than the policemen.”
At Eziukwu Market, it was learnt that some soldiers injured two traders – Uche Nduka and Iyke Ogbuefi – during the search for suspected fake shoe polish dealers.
It was also learnt that some soldiers have been involved in revenue collection and issuance of tellers and receipts, which have generated a controversy.
(The Nation)
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