Police, Motorists And Faulty Roads

For some months now, motorists in the Mile
1 area of Diobu in Port Harcourt have not
had it easy. Their ordeal with the faulty parts of Ikwerre Road and the police on another hand have become rather disturbing and calls for some urgent actions.
Being one of the major roads in Port Harcourt, Ikwerre Road cannot be broken without the Works Ministry noticing or doing something about for several months. Not only has the two faulty parts resulted in the damage of many vehicles, it has become reason for the police to extort money from motorists who try to avoid the bad spots.
Even when the police themselves drive against the traffic to avoid the dangerous spots, they shamelessly waylay motorists who try to avoid the same spots. Those who fear the police just drop into the ditch every day at the risk of damaging their vehicles.
We are worried by this development that tends to give bad name not only to the police but also the government. In other climes, not only would the police take steps to help the populace or call the attention of the relevant authorities to faulty portions of the road, they would also mount an officer to ease traffic at such places.
But what we see at the place is wicked, vindictive and hostile policing. They have taken delight in the hardship of the people, taken advantage and collected money and acted in ways that makes it difficult for anyone to accept that the police are in any way the friend of the people. This is what even one’s worst enemy would not contemplate.
Ikwerre road, the point ending the Rivers State Newspaper Corporation premises and another spot beside the Silverbird Cinema have been bad for months. The situation is such that motorists have experienced a lot of hardship in that part of the city. Indeed, a lot of vehicles have broken down at those spots and no one seems to see or mind.
We are concerned that taking into account the time the problem had existed, the Ministry of Works ought to have intervened or even helped to divert traffic. At the moment, the huge craters are getting worse and giving the city a bad image, at a time the State Government is revolutionising road development in Port Harcourt. Worse still, as the rains come those spots will become terrible
Even more worrisome is the attitude of the police in the area (Mile 1) who have resorted to taking advantage of the situation to ambush motorists who try to avoid the impassable parts of the road. Such motorists are intimidated and money extorted from them on daily basis. This has led to some skirmishes between the Police, motorists and other road users some times.
We call on the Rivers State Ministry of Works to immediately come to the rescue of motorists and other road users in that part of Port Harcourt. To fail to notice the damage on the road for this long in the city-centre is bad enough, but to allow it to become the reason for disaffection in the populace is highly condemnable.
The Ministry is expected to be pro-active and have the process of identifying such dangerous spots on the roads and respond to such situations promptly. Even so, the police authorities in the State should call their men to order to avoid the impression that the police are only out to make money.
In some civilised climes, where the police are the friends of the people, developments like this would have made them assist motorists by having their men on ground to manage traffic and not insist that motorists take the plunge into the ditch or be victimised.
That the police would be so shameless and hostile by ambushing, not criminals, but ordinary road users, is terrible. There ought to be traffic wardens and traffic signs to clearly guide motorists away from harm’s way. But our police actually push people into harm’s way with delight.
Indeed, what the police have done at those spots in the past months have not only portrayed the force in another pitiable light. If this police victimisation is not stopped, there may broke out civil disobedience in the place and the police may have a hand full. As for the Ministry of Works their failure to act, especially in places as strategic as Ikwerre Road has raised questions that we hope they can answer.