igbo people have a saying that what will kill a puppy does not usually allow it perceive the smell of faeces. A particular set of policemen have been harassing innocent travellers on Benin-Agbor Road inward Benin Bypass in Edo State. Last month, some angry citizens exposed them for extortion. The security operatives had asked these motorists to provide proof of their Electronic Central Motor Registry (ECMR) registration. The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, had suspended its enforcement in July 2024.
But the bribe-seeking operatives allegedly demanded N5,000 or five litres of fuel in lieu of the ECMR. The travellers stood their ground. Not long after, the video of the whole drama surfaced on the social media.
Nemesis can’t be sweeter than this. Obviously, the cup of the policemen was full. Immediately I saw the video, I knew it was the same set of policemen my family and I encountered early May 2025. Our journey to Lagos from the East was smooth until we got to the accursed checkpoint. The officers parked us just as they parked many other motorists.
In the car with me were my wife, my sister-in-law, my first daughter and a one-year-old baby. I thought it would be the usual “open your booth” or “do Easter for us.” That is what obtains at most of the checkpoints. Most motorists travelling to and from the South-East usually keep some N200 or N100 notes handy for settling the police on the road. That is if you do not want to be unnecessarily delayed.
But these Benin Bypass police are smart, or greedy, if you like. Rather than collect the N200, they will park you and find some imaginary offence to nail you with. If you are not sure of your rights, or if you are in a hurry, they will have some grounds to extort huge amounts of money from you.
In my own case, my papers were complete – driving licence, vehicle licence, roadworthiness certificate, insurance certificate, proof and change of ownership and even the ECMR. “Where is your plate number allocation paper and affidavit?” one of the policemen thundered after checking my papers. I told him I didn’t have it in the car; and that I didn’t need to carry it about since I had all the relevant papers I needed to travel with. That was where my problem started.
The policeman pocketed all my papers and went away. All my pleas to release my papers to me fell on deaf ears. At some point, some friends who were also on the road to Lagos from the East saw me and pulled over. They joined in pleading with the officers, all to no avail. Not even the cry of the little baby in the car touched them. I resolved there and then not to give them any money.
After over one hour at the checkpoint, I confronted the man with my papers. I told him how wicked he was to detain a family for no just cause. “If it’s armed robbers now, you will all run away,” I fumed. He snapped, “You are one of the robbers. We have arrested people who looked clean and gentle like you before and it turned out they were robbers.”
About two hours after, my people became agitated. A shouting match erupted between us and the policemen. My daughter was particularly pissed off. She told them we were ready to sleep there that day; that we would not give them even one naira.
As the verbal warfare raged, I went to meet their boss at his own checkpoint, which was on the opposite side of the road. He wanted to know my identity. I told him. He followed me to where my car was parked and beckoned on his men. Clutching my papers in his hands, he said if I could present my plate number allocation paper, he would release us to go. When I still couldn’t produce it, he said, “If you want to write about this incident, who will you blame, who is at fault?” I told him the fault was all mine.
He began to lecture me on how he has spent some 25 years in the police force; that he was fairer than me, but due to much suffering under the sun to ensure our safety, he had become black. After the sermon, he returned my papers and urged me to tell my women to stop interfering in the discussion of men. I thanked him and thanked my friends who were still there with me when the drama was playing out. We entered our cars and zoomed off. I shook my head and knew that the policemen would put themselves into trouble one day. I never knew it would be so soon.
Hence, I wasn’t surprised when the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the extortionists had been summoned to Abuja. According to him, the Force would not tolerate any act of indiscipline or unprofessionalism. The IGP directed disciplinary action, including queries and orderly room trials, for the six police officers.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Delta State, Bright Edafe, also condemned those bringing shame to the Force. One by one, he said, they would be sent out of the organisation. But are these genuine or phantom condemnation? Can the police hierarchy really claim ignorance of the shenanigans of their men at various checkpoints?
There are widespread suspicions that the men on the road make good returns to their bosses in the office. Those who are caught or exposed happen to be scapegoats.
That is probably why this extortion problem has continued to fester and may never stop. Sometimes, the operatives can kill if you refuse to give them money. They have actually killed a number of innocent people over this.
It was this type of thing that prompted the violent protests against police brutality in 2020. Many people, including scores of policemen, were killed and some public properties, including over 200 police stations were destroyed.
To some extent, you don’t totally blame the police for their beggarly attitude. They do their work under horrible conditions. Their pay is nothing to write home about. The other day, the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund, Mohammed Sheidu, said each police station got N45,000 per quarter as imprest for operational costs. With this kind of poor funding, what magic will the police perform?
Invariably, if you visit a police station for any reason, you must drop money. You will pay for file, for writing of statement and provide or buy fuel for the vehicles they will use to effect the arrest of a suspect. Just pray that nothing takes you to a police station in Nigeria. You will regret ever going there. Little wonder they have been adjudged the most corrupt institution in Nigeria.
Our police force needs rescue operation. The Federal Government of Nigeria must rescue it from poor funding, poor welfare, poor training, decrepit barracks, inadequate and antiquated arms and ammunition. Above all, police officers must wean themselves off the tendency to extort money from travellers.
It is no longer fashionable to mount roadblocks in the name of security where technology and intelligence can effectively do the work. The police should do more of patrolling the highways and responding to kidnap incidents, not checking vehicle papers on the expressway.
Christmas season will soon be here. I have got all my papers ready, including plate number allocation paper. Outside driving licence, vehicle licence, insurance and roadworthiness certificates, proof and change of ownership papers, is there any other paper one is supposed to travel with? Police authorities should come out now and enlighten the public. The harassment of innocent travellers on the roads must stop.
Re: A peep at National Orientation Agency
Casmir, during the days of MAMSER, there was this jingle that had positive impact on my psyche up to this day. It was: “If you are a governor, you govern well. If you are a minister, you minister well. If you are a teacher, you teach well!” NOA should come up with such laudable jingles that stay long in the memories of citizens while seeking change of negative attitudes/poor orientations of citizens.
It could add: if you are a president, you preside or president well by declaring your assets as stipulated in the constitution. If you are the Director-General of NAFDAC, you direct well by paying interns what is due to them. If you are a pastor, you pastor well. If you are a party man, you party man well; unlike one Wike that wants to kill ‘his beloved party,’ because of a perceived mistake, which is even subjective.
If you are a leader, you lead well. Something is wrong with a nation where three years into the four-year term of a president, the president refuses to declare his assets just like Buhari did. Yet, everybody, including the opposition, are indifferent, because they are bird of a feather! If you are a youth, you spend your youthful days well by not smoking Indian hemp that is injurious to your health and damages one’s career/future.
If you are a senate president, you senator well, not like Akpabio that was busy ‘natasharing’ Natasha, thereby losing focus! When we all do our beats well, it shall be well with Nigeria. Amen. Nigeria will not go down. Amen! Nigeria shall rise again IJN! Amen!
– Mike, Mushin, Lagos, 0816 111 4572