Investigation by Shipping Position Daily has revealed that law enforcement agencies, including the Police and Immigration officials, Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) among others are maintaining more than 400 checkpoints along the Mile 2 Seme border road, despite widespread condemnation for extorting commuters.
Our correspondent who investigated the menace from Mile 2 to Seme border was informed that the checkpoints, strategically positioned along the crucial economic route for trans-border trade, serve as lucrative sources of illicit income, with drivers forced to pay bribes to avoid delays and harassment.
Despite mounting pressure from the public and various media scrutiny, these checkpoints remain a persistent challenge, showcasing the entrenched nature of corruption among the various law enforcement agencies.
Sources who spoke to Shipping Position Daily revealed that several efforts to curb the proliferation of these checkpoints have been met with resistance, as these law enforcement officials remain defiant in their resolve to perpetuate the status quo.
Between Badagry Roundabout and Seme Border, our correspondent last week counted not fewer than 40 checkpoints on both sides of the in-bound and out-bound traffic. In a few kilometers between Badagry roundabout and Gbaji Bridge, about 10 checkpoints were counted which were mostly mounted by officers of the Nigeria Police, Immigration officers and a few Customs checkpoints.
The Seme Chapter Patron of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA); Prince Sulieman Momoh condemned the proliferation of excessive checkpoints along the Mile 2 to Seme Border. highlighting the rampant extortion and harassment faced by commuters.
Speaking about the situation, Momoh lamented the staggering number of checkpoints encountered daily by commuters, even as he added that travelers are subjected to more than 80 checkpoints during the day and over 150 checkpoints in the night along the Seme border- Badagry route, which according to him are predominantly manned by Police personnel.
Momoh asserted that law enforcement officers rarely inquire about vehicle particulars, instead they focus on extorting money from motorists. Describing the ordeal faced by drivers, he highlighted the complicity of both Police and Immigration officials in perpetuating this extortion racket, noting their indifference towards the plight of commuters.
Expressing concern for the negative impression these checkpoints leave on visitors to Nigeria, Momoh warned that the excessive security measures could deter potential investors and tourists. He urged authorities to muster the courage to address the root causes of this checkpoint proliferation, emphasizing the urgent need for systemic reform to combat corruption and ensure the free flow of goods and people along this critical trans-border trade route.
In his words: “This one you are seeing in the afternoon when you are coming to the office is a small thing. Anything from 7 o’clock, the checkpoint you will meet from Seme-border to Badagry roundabout alone will be more than 150; mostly manned by the Police. You will hear different names like “Anti flying” “Anti bomb” and others. You will be thinking that there is war in Nigeria.
“They will never ask you about particulars. They will only be consigned with what you carry in your boot, threatening you with their guns. Police and Immigration officers have condemned this road. I hope one day something good will happen. That is, we pray for a government that will take courage to eradicate these checkpoints. If a stranger enters Nigeria for the first time and they pass through the Seme border, he will never come back again because he will think that there is a problem or war in Nigeria. It’s very terrible” Momoh lamented
A senior Customs officer at Seme border, who pleaded anonymity informed that the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has only seven checkpoints between Agbara and Seme border. He noted that the two approved checkpoints are at Agbara and Gbaji bridges respectively. He also informed that the other five checkpoints are not stationary, but on patrol for monitoring.
The officer however questioned the heavy presence of Police checkpoints on the Seme border road, adding that they don’t have full mandate to create multiple checkpoints at the border areas compared to the NCS who have legal backings to be at the border.
“You should ask the Police what they are doing on the roads with their numerous checkpoints. At least, the Nigeria Customs Service has the legal mandate to be at the border areas. The numerous checkpoints you see at the Seme corridor are mostly mounted by the Police. You should ask them questions” the customs officer said.
On his part, a freight forwarder at the Seme border and Board of Trustees Secretary of the Association of Registered Freight Forwarders Nigeria (AREFFN) Mr. Innocent Elum, echoed frustration over the persistent presence of illegal checkpoints despite extensive media coverage and public outcry.
Elum highlighted the systemic issues perpetuating this phenomenon, pointing fingers at higher-ranking officials of government agencies, while calling for urgent intervention to restore order and accountability. According to him, attempts to address the issue through media reports have yielded little to no effect, as law enforcement officers continue to occupy the roads unabated.
The AREFFN Chieftain attributed this impunity to a cycle of corruption, alleging that officers on the ground are merely following orders from their superiors, who benefit from the illicit proceeds generated by these checkpoints.
With the recent appointment of Comptroller Timi Bomodi as the new Customs Area Controller (CAC) at Seme Command, Elum noted a significant reduction in customs checkpoints along the Seme-Mile 2 route. However, he emphasized that the issue now lies primarily with the Police and Immigration officers, who continue to operate under the guise of “border drills” long after the border’s reopening.
In his words “It has been like that for God knows how long now despite the media reports and all of that. I can tell you for free that no amount of media reports on that road would make the police leave the road. This is because we are Nigerians and we know what is happening. That is where they feed from. And of course, the ones on the road are not the ones to blame. The big men in the offices are the ones who sent them and perhaps they are collecting returns from them to keep them there. This is because the DPO cannot tell you that he does not know that his boys are on that road, he knows.
“And if he knows, then his Area Commander also will know. And if the Area Commander knows, then maybe the Commissioner, AIG and all of that are aware of the presence on the roads. They are probably getting something from them that is why no matter how many reports on the road that are made by the media, you will always find them there, except they hear that one big politician is coming, then they will disappear which means that indeed these are illegal checkpoints. We all know the effects of those illegal checkpoints or movement of persons and goods on the road. It’s a terrible situation.
“I don’t know whether it can ever stop. With the coming of this new controller, Comptroller Timi Bomodi, the customs checkpoints have considerably been minimized. As a matter of fact, it is only the legal checkpoints of customs that you find on the road between Seme and Mile 2. So, Customs is no longer the problem, It is the police and Immigration officers”, Elum concluded.
