BEVERLY HILLS, January 6, (THEWILL) – Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Monday lashed out at soldiers for allegedly demanding N1000 bribe from travellers plying the Borno highway leading to Maiduguri, the state capital, for not carrying a government issued identity card.
The governor who ran into a long line of stranded vehicles confronted the soldiers and policemen attached to the Operation Lafiya Dole, the military team fighting the Boko Haram insurgency at Njimtilo road block.
“This is unacceptable. How can you subject people to this kind of torture all in the name of National ID card? And you are all here collecting N500 and N1, 000 from poor travellers who don’t have national ID card,” he yelled at the soldiers.
“This is not right. The federal government has not created an enabling environment for our people to get their national ID cards and you are here collecting N500 and N1, 000 as a fine for not having what the federal government has not provided for all,” the enraged governor said, according to reports.
The governor said he had received several complaints about the extortion at the Maiduguri checkpoint and asked one of his aides to call on phone the Head of the military counter-insurgency operation in the Northeast (Operation Lafiya Dole), Maj. Gen. Olusegun Adeniyi.
“Theater Commander, where are you? …Right now I’m at the checkpoint near state university and we have thousands of people stranded and your people are here collecting money from people because they don’t have National ID Card. Why?,” he asked the General.
After a brief chat, the governor directed the soldiers to allow free flow of traffic and subsequently departed the scene.
