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Women from the South-East under the aegis of the National Igbo Women Assembly (IWA) have called on the Federal Government to withdraw soldiers deployed across checkpoints in the region, claiming they're constituting more problems than solving them.
There are various checkpoints on roads within and leading to the South-East region of the country manned by soldiers who are saddled with the responsibility of curtailing the activities of gunmen and violent secessionists.
However, travellers have been complaining about the alleged excesses of this security personnel, which include extortion and snarled-up traffic that usually leave motorists and commuters groaning in frustration.
Addressing the issue while speaking to journalists in Enugu on Friday, August 16, 2024, IWA President, Lolo Nneka Chimezie, questioned why soldiers deployed to tackle insecurity in the region have abandoned their objective to engage in extortion and humiliation of the people.
She said the soldiers have prioritised extorting money from motorists and harassing commuters over what they were assigned to do.
IWA also noted with regret the humiliation of commuters on the roads by forcing them to disembark from their vehicles and cross checkpoints on foot before rejoining their vehicles.
The Igbo women argued that such practice is only prevalent in the South-East, wondering what offence the people of the region committed to deserve such a treatment.
IWA described as embarrassing the fact that criminals would attack and abduct people at locations close to these checkpoints yet they would not be apprehended.
“Since they have failed to secure the people they were asked to protect, we demand that the Federal Government withdraws them immediately, police should be encouraged to protect the people as they are more approachable than soldiers who are always harsh on the people, irrespective of age,” Chimezie said.
IWA condemns anti-Igbo campaign, wants Kanu released
Commenting on the #IgboMustGo campaign that recently caused a ruckus on social media, the group expressed concern about why the Federal Government hasn't arrested promoters of the ethnic campaign and hate speech.
The women noted that the Federal Government's disposition on the matter suggests that it's applying different laws for different people in Nigeria.
They cited the case of a prominent Igbo leader in Logos, Eze Nwajagu, who is currently detained and on trial for threatening to invite Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to protect his people in Lagos if the government wouldn't do needful
The women claimed that some people have committed worse breaches even against Igbo in Lagos, yet the government has looked the other way.
The group said it's painful that people who have threatened and even attacked Igbo in the same Lagos and those currently championing ethnic hatred against the Igbo are walking freely.
It, therefore, called on President Bola Tinubu to release detained IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu and Nwajagu or mete out the same treatment to those threatening Igbo to leave Lagos, if the same law applies to all Nigerians.