Nigerian Police authorities under the headship of the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris Monday night issued a terse statement ordering the immediate dismantling of all roadblocks nationwide.
Major highways named in the order include but not limited to Lagos-Ibadan, Sagamu-Benin, and Benin-Onitsha highways.
Other roads affected include Okene-Abuja, Kaduna-Kano, Katsina – Kano, Otukpo – Enugu, Enugu – Port Harcourt Expressways.
Police spokesman, Jimoh Moshood, in the statement noted that the directives was part of Nigeria Police contribution to grow ease of doing business in Nigeria, safeguard, and guarantee free passage of goods and travellers throughout the country.
According to the state, “No police department, section, squad or unit should mount road block without express permission of the Inspector-General of Police,” Moshood stated.
Already, IG has mandated all Assistant Inspectors-General of Police in charge of Zonal Commands, Commissioners of Police in charge of State Commands and Heads of Departments, to ensure that every patrol vehicle in their respective formation has a conspicuous and legible inscription of patrol vehicle identification number, and dedicated emergency phone numbers for identification and report of distress by members of the public.
Before now, motorists had been under the shackles of Police brutality on highways driven by road blocks but on highways and even obscure streets and state or local government arterial road in Lagos and other states.