Quartet of Mobile Police Officers on Nigeria Highways – Ehindero Must Hear This!

Olufemi Brenx

It was not just another Saturday; this was a gray and awfully rainy day, a day when all commuters traveling on the Warri – PortHarcourt road have the weather and the state of the roads fixated on their minds with a golden objective to reach their destinations in day light before night fall. This was about 3:30 pm on the 9^th of September 2006, barely 2 days to the sad commemoration of the 5^th anniversary of the 9/11 incidents and how these sad events of terrorism have changed the world. This was the subject of discussion amongst the passengers in my car when we were stopped at a police stop point – the 12^th after only 75 kilometers from Warri.

This point was manned my a quartet of Mobile police officers in uniform. These are men of the Team 239 as written on the patrol vehicle they parked on the side of the road. The team comprising Cpl Chucks Nnonim Id number 200894, Saka Joseph Id Number 116974 and another unidentified officer wearing a bullet coat over his uniform was led by Inspector Jimoh Yusuf. For over 2 hours this quartet terrorized drivers at this point while steadily collecting N20 from every commercial vehicle and dubiously claiming faults on all documents of private cars with a mandatory levy of N5000/car. It was a reign of terror for which Cpl Chucks with a gun on one hand steadily robbed drivers on that road and almost shot men of the road transport union who refused to settle. It was obvious that these men were on a mission to frustrate, extort and who knows probably kill if the drivers did not cooperate to settle the “matter” as they consistently harassed, while wielding their guns in the name of security checks. Did you say the police is my friend?

A total of 10 vehicles were rudely and forcefully pulled over and searched like they were being expected at the checkpoint. For me it was a sad experience as they asked for all the usual documents which I produced and then they went further to request for police report and receipt of my car plate numbers, which co-incidentally I had and promptly gave them not to get them angry as these men were behaving like men possessed by demons. I can tell you that at some point one couldn’t but think they were armed robbers in police uniform! In the end I was told that my plate number receipt read “RECEIPTS” and also did not indicate what the car number was despite my names being boldly typed. With this “OFFENCE” I was told that I could not escape and that I should note that police will always catch any commuter they want, obviously in response to the many documents I had submitted. For this I was asked to pay N5000 to settle the “matter” which I refused and later agreed to go to a so-called station with them. On sensing my determination for justice they later refused and threatened to incriminate me when we get to the station. Finally the lead man Inspector Jimoh showed some sensitivity and pleaded with “Osama Chuck” ( yes! An Inspector pleading with a corporal) to lower his “settlement” request before I was forced to part with N1000. At this time it was beginning to get dark and with all the stories of rampart accidental discharges which have since reduced the value of life in Nigeria to N20 before the average policeman the sense of survival took the better part of reasoning to be on the safe side.

I wonder how many Nigerians are daily harassed, terrorised, humiliated and subjected to untold hardship by the same people who should protect them on Nigerian roads. We have reached a point where travellers are more afraid of meeting police on the highway than even armed robbers!! To this end we call on the inspector General of police to bring these 4 to face the music and publish all the documents that a driver should have with him at all times thus saving us from the endless terrorism and oppression from the police at road check points asking for all kinds of fraudulent documents including voodoo certificates that do not exist. I call for these officers from the Team 239 to account for their mission on Warri - PH road on Saturday the 9^thof September 2006 and be brought to justice if the Nigerian is to believe the popular saying that the police is your friend. For now certainly not these ones, especially Cpl Chucks Nnonim, the main “Osama” who claimed that he was sent from Abuja and is very connected. Only published response of action taken by the IG can give Nigerians confidence as we move nearer the election in 2007. Help save Nigerians from this form of terrorism! Long live Nigeria!