A task force has cleared the illegal roadblocks on the Lagos-Badagry-Seme Expressway.
This followed an investigation by our correspondent exposing how security agents used about 100 illegal roadblocks on the road to extort money from commercial motorists, motorcyclists, traders and residents.
The President, Hengo Badagry Youth Association, Felix Godonu, who alongside other stakeholders had complained about the extortion on the expressway, confirmed the development to our correspondent on Sunday.
He said the joint task force team, comprising soldiers from the two barracks in Badagry, air force officials, among others, were led by the Comptroller, Nigeria Customs Service, Seme Command.
Godonu said, “The joint task force cleared all the illegal roadblocks on the Lagos-Badagry-Seme Road; they also pursued all the policemen and customs officials at the roadblocks. I am reliably informed that at a security meeting, it was discussed that the investigative report published by PUNCH Newspapers on the security officials, particularly policemen and customs officers using the illegal roadblocks to extort money from motorists, traders, among others, was responsible for the action of the task force.
“We cannot continue to condone such in our area; why will we keep quiet when the extortion on the road through illegal roadblocks is affecting our daily lives and economy?
“The task force, involving heads of security agencies, demolished and set ablaze some of the roadblocks. The report by PUNCH Newspapers is yielding results, but we just have to see how far the result will last. For them to have discussed the report at the security meeting, it is a win-win situation.”
During the undercover investigation, our correspondent observed and filmed as the security officials subjected commercial drivers, traders and residents to harassment in order to extort money from them.
Our correspondent, while pretending as a passenger during the investigation, encountered no fewer than 66 roadblocks and checkpoints on the expressway, despite claims that the government approved only two checkpoints at Agbara and Gbaji, along the Lagos-Badagry-Seme road.
According to residents, most of the policemen involved in the racket were from Area K Police Command, headed by Assistant Commissioner of Police Ahmed Jamilu.
The police stations under the command that were mentioned included Ijanikin, Ilemba-Hausa, Ishashi, Morogbo, Badagry and Seme divisions. Policemen attached to the Olorunda Police Station were also reported to be involved in the extortion.
Cops of the IG’s monitoring unit; the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, South-West; the Zone 2 Police Command; among other special police units, including SWAT, Joint Task Force, were also reported to be involved in the illegal act.
Officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Port Health Service, soldiers, Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Border Drill, Joint Border Patrol, and Quarantine, among others, were also mentioned.
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