Oganihu Demands End to Checkpoint Extortion, Prolonged Detention in South-East

Oganihu, a non-partisan civic and socio-development platform of concerned Igbo professionals and citizens, has called for an immediate end to alleged extortion, harassment and other abuses at security checkpoints across the South-East, demanding greater accountability from security agencies and governments in the region.

Represented by Professor Chijioke Uwasomba, as Co-chair; Uzodimma Nwogbe, Secretary; and Okechukwu Nwanguma, Advocacy Coordinator, the group urged citizens who experience checkpoint abuses to safely document relevant details and report them through credible accountability channels, insisting that the South-East needs security but that genuine security cannot be built on humiliation, extortion, arbitrary detention or impunity.

In a statement issued on Monday, the group said it was deeply concerned about the proliferation of checkpoints, alleged systematic extortion of motorists and commercial transporters, prolonged detention of citizens in security facilities and the failure to implement recommendations of official inquiries into violence and insecurity. 

Oganihu acknowledged the legitimate duty of security agencies to protect lives and property, particularly amid kidnapping and armed attacks in the South-East, but maintained that security operations must not become avenues for extortion. 

It cited recurring complaints from motorists, farmers, traders, transporters and civil society organisations, including reports of police extortion on South-East roads in July 2026 and an April 2026 investigation announced by the Enugu State Police Command following allegations of checkpoint extortion around Nsukka. 

It also recalled concerns raised by the House of Representatives in October 2025 over unidentified and improperly dressed security personnel manning checkpoints.

The group called on the Inspector-General of Police, military authorities and heads of other security agencies to conduct an immediate audit of all checkpoints in the five South-East states, establish their locations, operational necessity, authorisation and personnel, and dismantle those without identifiable security purposes. 

It further demanded that security personnel found demanding or collecting money from road users be investigated and subjected to appropriate disciplinary and criminal proceedings, stressing that citizens' constitutional rights to dignity and freedom of movement remain applicable at security checkpoints.

Oganihu also urged the Governors of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo States to use their political and constitutional oversight responsibilities to demand accountability from security agencies. 

It said any state funding or logistical support provided to federal security agencies must be transparent and linked to measurable standards of professionalism, human-rights compliance and accountability. 

The organisation said it would engage the five governors and Houses of Assembly, petition the National Assembly and relevant oversight bodies, and call on Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide to make the fight against checkpoint extortion a sustained regional advocacy priority.

On prolonged detention, Oganihu expressed particular concern over reports of Southeast citizens arrested during security operations and allegedly held for extended periods at Wawa Barracks in Niger State and other military facilities.

Citing Amnesty International's 2025 documentation of alleged torture and poor detention conditions involving detainees transferred from the South-East, the group demanded a transparent account of everyone currently held in connection with security operations, including their identities, dates and places of arrest, detaining authorities, legal status and pending charges. 

It insisted that suspects must either be prosecuted before competent courts or released where sufficient evidence does not exist, with families informed and detainees granted access to lawyers.

The organisation also urged the Anambra State Government to demonstrate progress in implementing the recommendations of the Truth, Justice and Peace Commission established by Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo. 

Oganihu recalled that the commission examined the causes and patterns of agitation, violence and victimisation in Anambra and the wider South-East and recommended, among other measures, mechanisms for documenting missing and disappeared persons and the professionalisation and effective coordination of vigilante services. 

It noted that Soludo received the final report in March 2024 and pledged swift implementation, and therefore demanded a public account of recommendations already implemented, those outstanding and a timetable for completion.

Oganihu further called for the reopening of investigations into the 2002 murders of former Onitsha NBA Branch Chairman, Barrister Barnabas Igwe, and his wife, Abigail, amid renewed public controversy over historical allegations involving Mr. Ken Emeakayi, currently identified as Special Adviser on Security to Governor Soludo. 

While noting that the Anambra Government has rejected allegations against Emeakayi, Oganihu said it was not pronouncing anyone guilty and that guilt must be determined by a competent court after due process.

It nevertheless urged law-enforcement authorities to revisit the murders and subject any credible evidence against anyone, regardless of political affiliation or public office, to judicial process.

Oganihu said it would pursue the issues through sustained civic and institutional engagement, including collaboration with credible civil society, professional, transport and community organisations to document abuses and pursue appropriate legal or judicial remedies.