I once heard on a radio program that the motto of the Nigerian Police Force is "to serve and protect". That is, to serve and protect Nigerians. I have always known that, at least, in theory, the Nigerian Police Force has lofty and laudable objectives.
However, it was the first time I heard them stated so succinctly; I was impressed. By every index, the Nigerian Police Force has derailed from these original ideals. And no single factor dramatizes this derailment and the overall failure of the Nigerian police as vividly as the police roadblocks. In the interest of the Nigerian police and the good of the country, these road blocks should be dismantled.
The setting up of roadblocks by the police was conceived as a crime fighting strategy, but lamentably, over the years, the roadblocks degenerated into menacing enters of aggravation, intimidation, extortion, viciousness and brutality. On a trip from Lagos to Onitsha in November, 2009, I counted 47 police checkpoints. From Onitsha to the Anambara State capital, Awka, a distance of about 20 miles, there are at least 11 police check points. Despite this excessive number of police check points, the crime rate throughout the country remains terrifyingly high. Evidently, the roadblocks have proved ineffective in combating crime.
As of that November, they were, as usual, hubs of police corruption and cruelty. In December, 2009, around Christmas time, their number had increased. It was excessive; and I lost count. This time, the police changed their modus operandi. Instead of playing their regular role of victimizing motorists and squeezing money from them, they constituted themselves into a huge army of beggars. They were out in force, and were just begging from motorists. With so many roadblocks manned by countless police men who stopped every vehicle and asked for money from the occupants, the traffic jam was staggering; it stretched for miles. And, after being held up for a long time, and finally inching your way to the policemen at the check point, they generally said, "Oga, happy Christmas. Your men dey for road. Do you have anything for us"?
Dismantle These Roadblocks (http://www.saharareporters.com/article/dismantle-these-roadblocks)