The Senate on Tuesday urged the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to direct its personnel to stop forthwith, extortion, intimidation and harassment of motorists and commuters on highways.
The senate resolution was sequel to adoption of a motion at plenary on “Urgent Need to Halt Extortion, Intimidation and Harassment of Motorists and Commuters by the Police on public roads.”
The motion was sponsored by Sen. Onyekachi Peter (APC-Ebonyi).
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Peter in his lead debate said one of the primary functions of the police personnel was to; among other things, facilitate the free passage and movement on highways.
According to him, Section 49 sub section one of the Police Act, 2020, empowers the police to conduct stop and search operations.
He said subsection two empowered them to search and detain any person or vehicle where reasonable ground for suspicion existed.
He said the police personnel who had the primary duties to facilitate free passage and movement of commuters and motorists on public roads had taken undue advantage by resorting to extortion, intimidation and harassment of motorists.
He said the continuous intimidation, harassment and torture that ordinary Nigerians experienced in the hands of those security agents called for action.
Sen. Elisa Abbo (APC-Adamawa) said the issues of extortion of commuters on public roads were not only limited to personnel of Nigerian police but other security agencies in uniform.
He said there was an urgent need for the police to reform itself.
He added that this was by coming out with modern security measures via utilisation of modern monitoring security cadets like Close Circuit Television, cameras to police and to protect Nigerians on the highways.
