Reps reject motion to return police checkpoints

A  few weeks after the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, ordered the dismantling of police checkpoints across the country, a member of the House of Representatives sponsored a controversial motion on Tuesday seeking to reverse it.
Mr. Friday Itulah, a Peoples Democratic Party lawmaker from Edo State, however, failed in his bid, as the House rejected the motion.
Itula had argued that the IG’s action had led to increased armed robberies on the highways.
He said armed robbers had taken advantage of the situation and were more daring than before on the highways.
Itula called for an interactive session between the House Committee on Police Affairs and the police to discuss the matter.
But, lawmakers rejected the motion in a majority voice vote.
Kicking against the motion, Mrs.  Ayo Omidiran and Mr. Udoh Ibeji recalled that armed robbers always unleashed terror on commuters when the checkpoints were in place, while the police could not respond appropriately.
Omidrian said, “How many armed robbers and terrorists were the police operatives able to arrest at the various checkpoints across the country when roadblocks were in place?”
She received a thunderous “none” and commendation in response to the question.
They advised the IG to continue with his security plans, but urged him to quickly replace the checkpoints with regular patrols on the highways.