An unidentified pregnant woman and her husband plying the Ore Road in Ondo State who resisted extortion by police officers at the Omotosho Checkpoint were reportedly assaulted last week, resulting in injury and car damage.

The assault resulted in the laceration of the man’s ear and the vehicle’s tyre was shot at when they refused to give bribes despite presenting complete vehicle particulars, according to a report on social media.

The harassment, extortion and extrajudicial killing of citizens at checkpoints by security agents, especially the Police, are recurrent issues in the country. Past directives for the dismantling of police checkpoints across the country have not been effective. 

In 2019, the police, aware that it could not completely eradicate roadblocks on Nigerian roads,  issued 16 guidelines on how to survive checkpoints, advising people to smile, be polite and avoid fighting armed officers.

“In practice, these checkpoints have become a lucrative criminal venture for the police, who routinely demand bribes from drivers and passengers alike, in some places enforcing a de facto standardized toll,” the Human Rights Watch stated in a 2010 report. 

Tee Leo Ikoro, the Public Relations Officer of the Ondo State Police Command, said the command was unaware of any incident  in the past week where its officers assaulted a couple travelling on the expressway.