Enugu Police Command Dismantles Checkpoints

The Enugu State Commissioner of Police, Mr Danazumi Doma, has ordered the immediate dismantling of all road blocks mounted with logs of wood.

Our correspondent  reports that the order, which was issued on Wednesday, was complied with, especially along the Enugu-Awka route where there were 11 checkpoints.

Our source  reports that apart from the entry point from Anambra at Ugwuoba and SARS Junction in Enugu, all the checkpoints mounted with used tyres, bags of sand and wood narrowing the road into ditches to force vehicles to a standstill, have been removed.

However, the two joint police/military checkpoints on the route were still intact, but manned only by soldiers this time around.

Motorists, especially commercial buses and articulated vehicles’ drivers interviewed said they were happy with the development.

A commercial bus driver, Mr Emeka Nweze, told NAN that “I used to spend N350 to sort out the police for each return trip from Onitsha to Enugu.”

An articulated vehicle driver, who preferred anonymity, said: “I give N100 at each of the stops.”

He said any failure to comply with would attract endless delay and expressed happiness at the new development.

Meanwhile, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for the command, Mr Ebere Amarizu, said that the order did not suggest total pullout from areas concerned.

He said that while all roadblocks mounted with logs of wood had been dismantled from Enugu State forever because they constituted an eyesore, those at the entry and exit points into Enugu State would remain.

He added that the entry and exit points’ checkpoints would now be mounted with drums painted in police colours and manned by 15-men each for enhanced surveillance.

Beside the drums, Amarizu said the entry and exit points would have police sign posts, while skeletal police presence would be maintained in other areas where the checkpoints have been removed.

“The usual blockade on the road will not be there anymore as it creates hold-ups and also create room for extortion,” he added.

“On the other hand, petty traders and food vendors who turned the 11 checkpoints on Enugu-Awka expressway into mobile trade spots, would be out of business as the hold up would not be there anymore.

“Those who roast corn, fried breadfruit sellers, packaged water and soft drink sellers would also begin to count their losses,’’ he said.