Removal of army checkpoints

It was decided that soldiers, for instance, will remain at essential check points and will only stop and search vehicles when they receive intelligence. In addition, there will be vehicle scanners positioned at some locations to ensure swift traffic flow. Barely 24hours after the directive, virtually all checkpoints across the country were cleared.  The Inspector […]

It was decided that soldiers, for instance, will remain at essential check points and will only stop and search vehicles when they receive intelligence. In addition, there will be vehicle scanners positioned at some locations to ensure swift traffic flow. Barely 24hours after the directive, virtually all checkpoints across the country were cleared.  The Inspector General of Police(IGP) Solomon Arase went further to say that  an additional 158 patrol vehicles would be deployed across the country to fill any vacuum that may occur in the security space by the removal of military check points.
He said, “we are set for it; I’m deploying about 158 additional vehicles to the Safer High Ways to take over the spaces where they have just vacated. I had already deployed 350 earlier; I am deploying another158 to add to that one so that we can dominate the security space”. He maintained that the removal of military checkpoints does not mean the police will stop their collaboration with the military. He said: “Constitutionally, they are also supposed to assist us whenever we have issues; when we require their assistance, so we still have to synergize with them.”Many Nigerians received the news with a sigh of relief, as the development would ease traffic on major routes. Many were also of the view that apart from the untold hardship the checkpoints caused road users, their presence or absence made little difference in the area of security. This is because according to them, the operatives never engaged in thorough search, just as there were no reports of arrests and seizure of arms by operatives manning the points.
And on several occasions, members of the Boko Haram sect attacked checkpoints, killed operatives and carted away arms. A former military chief had some time ago flayed the presence of soldiers at checkpoints, saying the act demystified the operatives, apart from the fact that they were carrying out a job for which they had little or no training. Aside that, there was the allegation of extortion, which further dented the image of the military. So, the removal of Check points is a welcome development, especially if it means freeing up more soldiers to boost the fight against insurgents in the North-East.
However, we hope that in trying to ameliorate the suffering of the masses, the government has not thrown away the baby with the birth water. It is true that the country has recorded remarkable success in its fight against insurgency, but this is not the time for it to relent. The authorities must ensure that no vacuum is created by the removal of checkpoints. Appropriate security measures should be put in place to ensure that insurgents do not take advantage of the situation. We also urge Nigerians to be ready to cooperate with security agents, because as the checkpoints leave the road, there may be other security measures that will require the support of everyone to succeed. Nigerians must learn to be patient with the authorities, especially on policies that border on security of lives and property.
The police should also step up its game; it must realize that the onus of protecting citizens now falls on its shoulders and as such be ready to rise up to the occasion. The reason military operatives were involved in internal security in the first place was due to lack of  adequate personnel in the police force and lack of confidence in their ability to protect lives and property. This is therefore not the time for excuses, rather an opportunity for the police to redeem their image. The IGP said vehicles will be deployed in addition to others already deployed. That is a step in the right direction, but we urge the authorities to go further by ensuring adequate manpower and logistics. The police must know that they can no longer afford to give excuses of “no fuel in vehicles or that the vehicles are in bad condition”. The police must realize the enormity of the responsibility and put its acts together.