Governor Zulum's convoy, according to TheCable, ran into a long queue of vehicles at one of the military checkpoints, on his way to Jakana, a community where Boko Haram insurgents struck on Saturday, January 4, 2020.
The governor, who had earlier been briefed that the security operatives were extorting people, alighted from his vehicle and walked straight to where some of the soldiers were.
“I’m going to report all of you in this unit… nobody can tolerate this. Boko Haram is attacking people and you are here collecting N1000 per car,” he said in the video, obtained by TheCable below:.
Even after one of the soldiers tried to calm the governor down, saying he would look into the case, Zulum fired back, saying: “But we saw them.”
Young soldiers who block roads across Nigeria should also be severely dealt with
As it had been reported in an opinionated article by Pulse Nigeria's Jude Egbas, about a disturbing trend among cadets of the Nigeria Defense Academy (NDA) and the Nigeria Military School (NMS), which it’s not an entirely new drama.
ALSO READ: Young soldiers who block roads across Nigeria should be severely punished [Opinion]
Young recruits storm busy roads/expressways in complete military fatigues, block busy roads/expressways, boast about how no one can stop them, compound traffic, record their despicable act on camera and return to do the same in some other location the next day.
The video above really made rounds on social media that it got the attention of former minister and one time presidential aspirant, Obiageli Ezekwesili, on twitter.
“I have tried hard to understand various versions of this story involving cadets of the Nigerian Army but still don’t get it, What is the meaning of this scale of lawlessness and intoxication by these lowest in the chain of the military in our Democracy???” she tweeted.
Across Nigeria, there are also many checkpoints manned by soldiers, some of whom extort motorists and commercial motorcyclists.
Pulse had reported that the Damaturu-Maiduguri road was under Boko Haram attack last weekend.