He called on the military to stop the siege mentality being created by the roadblocks as a gesture of goodwill towards Ndigbo.
Magnus Eze, Enugu
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo has called on the Federal Government to order the immediate dismantling of military roadblocks in the South East, especially this yuletide.
President General of the apex Igbo body Chief Nnia Nwodo said the roadblocks has caused untold hardship for the people of the area.
FG treating Igbo like slaves – Nwodo
Nwodo, who expressed displeasure with the situation, noted that, “it is only in this part of the country that there is such preponderance of military presence at checkpoints as if it is a conquered territory.”
The president general said effective security is guaranteed by adequate intelligence gathering, not by erection of roadblocks.
He argued that rather than build roadblocks that create man-made impediments and queues for an already beleaguered populace, the military should resort to patrol of routes or stop and search of suspicious vehicles.
The Igbo leader wondered why the military should concentrate their presence in a peaceful Igboland, instead of the Boko Haram threatened areas of the country.
He further called on the military to stop the siege mentality being created by the roadblocks as a gesture of goodwill towards Ndigbo, as they return to their villages to celebrate the yuletide with their kith and kin.
Travellers coming into the South East and parts of South South were, last Sunday, stranded on the Niger Bridge, Onitsha, following a total lock down of the long bridge, which is the only gateway into the South East region, which was chiefly caused by the military and police checkpoints before the bridge head.
Commuters to other parts of the region all have one sour tale or the other to tell about bottlenecks in the roads and unwarranted searching.
However, Nwodo also wished everybody, including the military, a joyful period of celebrations.