Yuletide Blues: Roadblocks Bring Christmas Travel Woes to South-Eastern Journeyers

As the festive season draws near, individuals embarking on journeys to the Southeastern part of Nigeria find themselves contending with a notable surge in the prevalence of roadblocks, leading to mounting frustration and considerable delays.

Numerous travelers who have recently ventured to the Southeast have taken to various social media platforms to voice their discontent regarding an unprecedented increase in roadblocks established by security authorities. Upon further investigation by Infostride News, these claims have been substantiated.

Emmanuel Kal, a merchant based in Abuja who frequently travels to the Southeast for business purposes, shared his recent experience, highlighting a significant uptick in the number of roadblocks encountered during his journey to Enugu State. Kal observed a surge of over 40% compared to his trip in October, emphasizing the emergence of new roadblock spots predominantly established by the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigerian Army. These additional checkpoints have led to substantial delays as mass transit buses undergo thorough searches.

While roadblocks are not unfamiliar, Kal noted the proliferation of new spots, stating, “I began noticing lots of new roadblock spots set up by the Nigeria Police Force and some vigilante groups from the boundary between Kogi State and Enugu Ezike.” The increased roadblocks contributed to an extended travel time, with passengers in mass transit interstate buses subjected to searches at multiple points.

Furthermore, Kal expressed frustration at roadblocks established by the Nigerian Army, where passengers were required to disembark and walk 200 meters away from the checkpoint before being allowed to resume their journey.

A traveler from Lagos to Abia State, who opted for anonymity, reported a staggering rise in roadblocks on the East-West Road, resulting in significant traffic and a three-hour extension of her travel time. Despite the inconvenience, she acknowledged a heightened sense of security attributed to the increased presence of multiple security forces.

This traveler had visited Lagos State in September and experienced fewer roadblocks during her journey to Lagos. However, the return trip to Abia after spending several months in Lagos presented an unprecedented challenge. She remarked, “During my trip back to Abia, the roadblocks on the East-West Road were so much that the checkpoints were barely 5 minutes away from each other.”

Ezekiel John, traveling from Ogun State to Ebonyi, also attested to a noticeable increase in roadblocks, emphasizing the presence of over 20 new checkpoints compared to his journey in March. He observed, “When I traveled to my hometown in Ebonyi in March this year, I noticed some roadblocks at strategic parts of the highway. But last week when I was traveling to my hometown for Christmas, I noticed that there were over 20 new roadblocks I did not come across in March.”

Insights from Drivers

Interviews with drivers from various transport companies shed light on the widespread impact of increased roadblocks. Chijioke, a driver with Peace Mass Transit, reported a surge in roadblocks since December, causing substantial delays and sometimes compelling drivers to pay bribes to expedite their passage.

“Since December, I noticed that the number of roadblocks has increased on the roads leading to the East. These roadblocks are set up by various law enforcement authorities, including the Nigeria Police Force, Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigerian Customs Service, and the Nigerian Army. The roadblocks are so close to each other that we just drive a few minutes to see another one,” Chijioke explained.

Another driver, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed that roadblocks added over three hours to travel time, with drivers paying significant sums ranging from N1,000 to N3,000 at checkpoints between Anambra and Abia during nighttime.

Security Agents’ Perspectives

To gain insight into the reasons behind the surge in roadblocks, a personnel of the Nigerian Customs Service named Odudu, spoke with an Infostride News correspondent. Odudu provided reasons to justify the increase, stating that more roadblocks are set up by Customs personnel during the Christmas season to seize cars that were smuggled into the country without paying taxes and customs duties.

He explained, “We (NCS) have more roadblocks during this season because of the high traffic of vehicular movements across state lines. These roadblocks help prevent leakages and escape.”

Similarly, a senior Police Officer, who chose to remain anonymous, cited proactive measures to prevent crime during the festive season as the rationale behind the increased number of roadblocks. According to the officer, the trend during festivities, such as Christmas, involves an elevated risk of criminal activities, and the roadblocks serve as a proactive measure to deter individuals from committing crimes.

The officer emphasized that the “stop and search” procedure conducted at police-manned roadblocks aids in the detection and arrest of individuals transporting arms and ammunition across state lines. This strategy, according to the officer, contributes to maintaining security and preventing criminal activities during the festive season.