A non-partisan civic and socio-development platform, Oganihu, has called for an immediate end to alleged checkpoint extortion and impunity across the South-East, while demanding accountability for prolonged detentions and the implementation of the Anambra Truth, Justice and Peace Commission’s recommendations.
In a public statement issued on August 30, 2026, following its meeting of August 29, Oganihu expressed concern over what it described as the “continuing deterioration of security, accountability and respect for citizens’ rights” across the region.
The group said its concerns included “the proliferation and operation of security checkpoints, allegations of systematic extortion of motorists and commercial transporters, prolonged detention of citizens in security facilities, and the failure to implement important recommendations arising from official inquiries into violence and insecurity in the region.”
Oganihu said it received a detailed briefing from Mr Emeka Umeagbalasi of the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, Intersociety, concerning the organisation’s years of research and documentation on checkpoints and alleged extortion by security personnel in the South-East.
While acknowledging the responsibility of security agencies to protect lives and maintain public safety, particularly in a region affected by kidnapping and armed attacks, the group said security concerns could not justify abuses against citizens.
“Security necessity cannot justify extortion, harassment, degrading treatment or the conversion of highways into revenue-collection corridors,” Oganihu said.
The group noted that complaints about checkpoint extortion had repeatedly been raised by motorists, farmers, traders, transporters, civil society organisations and the media.
According to the statement, recurring reports of alleged extortion suggested that the problem could not simply be dismissed as isolated misconduct.
Oganihu therefore called on the Inspector-General of Police and the heads of the Armed Forces and other security agencies operating in the South-East to immediately audit checkpoints across the five states.
It said such an audit should identify the locations of checkpoints, their operational necessity, authorisation and personnel responsible for manning them.
“Checkpoints demonstrably required for security should operate professionally and transparently. Those serving no identifiable security purpose, or functioning primarily as points of extortion, should be dismantled,” the group said.
It added that security personnel found demanding or receiving money from road users should be investigated and subjected to appropriate disciplinary and criminal processes.
“The constitutional rights to dignity and freedom of movement do not cease to exist because citizens are travelling through a security checkpoint,” Oganihu said.
The organisation also called on the governors of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states to demand accountability from security agencies operating in their states.
It said that where state governments provide logistical or financial support to federal security agencies, such support should be transparent and linked to measurable standards of professionalism, human rights compliance and accountability.
“Public resources should never subsidise institutions or operations that humiliate or extort the same citizens whose taxes finance them,” the group said.
Oganihu said it would formally engage the five South-East governors, state Houses of Assembly, the National Assembly, security institutions and oversight bodies over the allegations.
It also called on Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide to make the fight against checkpoint extortion and other abuses against citizens travelling across the region a sustained advocacy priority.
The group also raised concerns over reports of prolonged detention of persons arrested in connection with separatist agitation or security operations in the South-East, including detainees reportedly held at the military detention facility at Wawa Barracks in Niger State.
Oganihu said Amnesty International’s 2025 report on abuses associated with the South-East conflict documented testimony concerning detainees arrested in the region and transferred through DSS facilities to Wawa Barracks, including allegations of torture and poor detention conditions.
Its position, the group said, was that anyone reasonably suspected of committing a criminal offence should be investigated and prosecuted before a competent court.
“Those against whom there is insufficient evidence should be released,” it said, adding that “indefinite or secret detention cannot substitute for criminal prosecution.”
The organisation demanded a transparent accounting of all persons currently detained at Wawa Barracks and other military or security detention facilities in connection with security operations in the South-East.
It said such information should include the identities of detainees, dates and places of arrest, detaining authorities, legal status and pending charges.
“Families must be informed of the whereabouts and legal status of their relatives, detainees must have access to lawyers, and anyone against whom the State has evidence must be brought promptly before a competent court,” Oganihu said.
Oganihu further called on the Anambra State Government to make progress in implementing the recommendations of the Truth, Justice and Peace Commission established by Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo.
The group said the commission examined the causes and patterns of agitation, violence and victimisation in Anambra and the wider South-East.
Among its recommendations, according to Oganihu, were mechanisms for documenting missing and disappeared persons and improving the professionalism and coordination of vigilante services.
The group noted that Governor Soludo received the commission’s final report in March 2024 and publicly pledged its swift and full implementation.
“More than two years later, Oganihu believes that the people of Anambra State and the wider Southeast deserve a clear public account of which recommendations have been implemented, which remain outstanding, and the timetable for completing them,” the organisation said.
Oganihu also expressed concern over renewed controversy surrounding the 2002 murder of the then Chairman of the Onitsha Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association, Barrister Barnabas Igwe, and his wife, Abigail.
The organisation referred to recent public reports raising questions about the appointment of Mr Ken Emeakayi as Special Adviser on Security to the Anambra State Governor in light of historical allegations concerning the murders.
It noted, however, that the Anambra State Government had rejected allegations against Emeakayi.
Oganihu stressed that it was not pronouncing guilt against any individual.
“That is the responsibility of a competent court after a lawful investigation and fair trial,” the group said.
However, it added: “Allegations surrounding the assassination of a serving NBA branch chairman and his wife cannot be permanently buried by the passage of time, political convenience or public office.”
The group called on relevant law-enforcement authorities to revisit the investigation into the murders and ensure that any credible evidence against any individual was subjected to the judicial process.
“No person should be condemned without due process; equally, no person should be placed beyond investigation because of political connections or public office,” it said.
Oganihu said it would pursue the issues through sustained civic and institutional engagement, including collaboration with civil society groups, professional organisations and other credible bodies.
It urged citizens who experience extortion or other abuses at checkpoints to safely document incidents where possible, including the location, date, time, agency involved and identifiable details of personnel, before reporting them through credible accountability channels.
“The Southeast needs security. But genuine security cannot be built upon humiliation, extortion, arbitrary detention or impunity,” the group said.
“Security personnel deployed to the region must protect the people, not prey upon them. Governments must account for the security systems they finance. Those accused of crimes must be investigated and tried according to law. Those unlawfully detained must regain their freedom.”
