By Matthew Don
Sixty checkpoints manned by the police, the army, the Federal Road Safety Commission and the Nigerian Customs dot the Lagos to Onitsha road.
The checkpoints, more than for security purposes, are used for arbitrary extortion of money from motorists and passengers plying the ever busy Lagos to Benin to Onitsha and down to other parts of the Eastern and South South region.
Former Commissioner for Information and Managing Director of the Sun Publishing Limited, Tony Onyima recently offered to travel by road and took the pains of counting the road blocks from Lagos to Onitsha. He was scandalised by what he saw- 60 checkpoints, some 100 and 40 meters apart.
Onyima took to his Facebook on Friday to narrate his experience as reproduced below.
He wrote: “Concerned by the increasing complaints about the pains of Nigerians plying the Lagos-Onitsha route, I decided to seize an opportunity on Wednesday, November 27, 2019 to find out the real situation.
“For complete experience, I traveled with one of the transporters at Jibowu. After an excruciating traffic along Redeemed Church corridor, we finally commenced the journey to Onitsha at 10:30am.
“By the time we arrived the Niger Bridge, I had counted 60 checkpoints. I was painstakingly taking notes and few shots. These checkpoints were manned by either soldiers, police, customs, SARS, FRSC or a combination. Below are the locations of the checkpoints to guide your next trip to Onitsha.”
LAGOS TO ORE:
1. Ilisan – Police checkpoint just in front of Babcock University
2. Ilisan 2 – Another police check less than 300 meters after Babcock
3. Ijebu Ode toll gate – Customs
4. Ijebu Ife – Police
5. Ijebu Itele – Customs, FRSC and Army
6. Ijebu Itele 2 – Police and FRSC
7. Ijebu Itele 3 – Police
8. Ajebandele – Police
9. Ajebandele 2 – Police
10. Ajebandele 3 – Police and FRSC
11. Ajebandele 4 – Army, Police
12. Ajebandele 5; less than 100 meters – Police
13. Ajebandele 6; less than 40 meters – Police
14. Ajebandele 7 – Police
15. Ajebandele 8 – Police
16. Ajebandele 9 – Police
17. Akinfosile – Police
18. Omotosho – Army
19. Omotosho 2 – Police
20. Obatedo – Police
21. Orilewo – Police
22. Orilewo 2 – Customs
23. Orilewo 3 – Police
24. Orilewo 4 – Police
ORE TO BENIN:
1. Ore 1 – Police
2. Ore 2 – Customs and Police
3. Ofosu – Army
4. Ofosu 2 – Police
5. Ofosu 3 – FRSC and Police
6. Ugbogui Town – Police
7. Okada – Customs and Police
8. Okada 2 – Police
9. Okada 3 – SARS
10. Okada 4 – Police
11. Okada 5 – Police
12. Okada 6 – SARS
13. Okada 7 – Army
14. Okada 8 – SARS
15. Okada 9 – SARS
16. Okada 10 – Police
17. Okada 11 – Police
18. Okada 12 – Police
19. Iwinosa – SARS
20. Benin toll gate – Customs, FRSC, SARS
21. Benin By-Pass – Police
22. Benin By-Pass 2 – SARS
23. Benin By-Pass 3 – Army
24. Ugoneki – Police
25. Ugoneki 2 – Police
26. Abudu – Customs
27. Abudu 2 – Army
28. Omumu-Agbor – Army, FRSC, Police and Customs
29. Agbor – Police
30. Ekwuoma – Police
31. Issele Uku – SARS
32. Issele Uku 2 – Police
33. Akwa Ukwu – Customs and Army
34. Ogwashi – Customs
35. Okpanam – Customs and Police
36. Onitsha Bridge head – Mopol
“You can imagine what will happen in the next two weeks when my brothers and sisters begin their Christmas migration,” Onyima wrote.