A staggering ₦21.8 billion has allegedly been extorted from motorists at roadblocks across the South-East within just two months, according to the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety). The rights group claims that security operatives, including the Nigerian Police Force and the Armed Forces, turned roadblocks into cash machines, fleecing commuters under duress.
In a shocking revelation, Intersociety’s Chairman, Comrade Emeka Umeagbalasi, accused the police of pocketing ₦15 billion, while the military allegedly siphoned ₦6.8 billion between December 2024 and January 2025.
Umeagbalasi pointed to specific locations as some of the worst offenders, singling out the Uga Junction and Atani Road Naval checkpoints in Onitsha, Anambra State, as the “most lucrative,” reportedly generating over ₦600 million from forced extortion.
> “The deployed personnel of the Nigerian Armed Forces and the Nigeria Police Force in the South-East seized no less than ₦21.8 billion from civilians during the Christmas and New Year periods, under gunpoint extortion and related practices,” Umeagbalasi stated.
The findings revealed a widespread extortion network, with at least 300 direct military roadblocks and 500 patrol teams in the region, where a shocking 98% of the security operatives were said to be involved in illegal toll collection.
Each military roadblock allegedly collected an average of ₦100,000 daily, amounting to ₦80 million daily or ₦2.4 billion monthly.
The police reportedly operated 2,500 roadblocks, raking in an average of ₦10.5 billion over two months through illegal levies.
Additionally, ₦3.5 billion was allegedly extorted from civilians inside military and police barracks, while ₦1 billion was looted through
State-by-State Breakdown of Police Extortion
Imo State: ₦2.94 billion
Anambra State: ₦2.52 billion
Abia State: ₦2.1 billion
Ebonyi State: ₦1.26 billion
Legal Implications: A Crime with Heavy Consequences
Umeagbalasi emphasized that these acts violate Section 108 of the Armed Forces Act, which prescribes a 14-year prison sentence for military personnel found guilty of extortion. Similarly, Section 99 of the Criminal Code Act criminalizes police roadblock extortion, carrying penalties of up to seven years in prison.
The civil rights group urged the Nigerian government to take immediate action to dismantle the extortion network and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Umeagbalasi called on authorities to:
Enforce existing laws and prosecute corrupt officers.
Disband illegal roadblocks that have turned highways into personal cash points.
Hold senior officers accountable for extortion under their watch.
Despite repeated promises by security agencies to address corruption within their ranks, roadblock extortion remains a deeply entrenched problem, particularly in the South-East. With billions allegedly stolen in just two months, Nigerians are left wondering: Will this scandal spark real change, or will impunity prevail once again?
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