A pro-Igbo group, the Igbo National Council, INC, has called on victims of extortion, harassment, and humiliation on roads across the state of the Southeast to come forward with pictorial and video pieces of evidence of their experiences.
The appeal came in a statement on Tuesday from the INC Directorate of Human Rights Protection Desk.
There have been complaints by human rights groups, civil society organizations, CSOs, and interest groups over the militarization of parts of the Southeast, as well as the numerous roadblocks on roads in the region.
These checkpoints, it was gathered, constituted avenues for extortion, brutalization, and humiliation of road users in the region, with little or no interference from the security agencies’ hierarchies.
Recall that the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions has fixed the Hearing of the group’s ‘Petition Against the Unlawful Extortion of Motorists and Wanton Humiliation of Civilian Passengers and Road Users by Security Operatives Serving in Some Joint Taskforce / Military Checkpoints and Outposts in South East Region on Nigeria to hold on Thursday 5th December 2024.
The hearing will be held at the National Assembly Complex Abuja.
According to the INC President, Chilos Godsent, who spoke in the statement made available to newsmen, the Hearing is to ascertain the level of human rights violations against civilians by the security operatives serving in some joint task force / military checkpoints and outposts in the South East Region of Nigeria, so that the necessary actions can be taken against the Perpetrators.
Godsent said, “We therefore call on interested people of South East Region to immediately furnish us with videos and pictures of the unlawful extortion and wanton humiliation of civilian passengers that are asked to come down from their vehicles and trek a distance to pass the checkpoint before entering their vehicle to continue with their journey.
“This Public Hearing may put to an end the ongoing humiliation of civilians by security operatives at the various military checkpoints in Southeast region,” he said.
