[NEWSFEED] How Corrupt Security Personnel, States' Officials Help Violate Interstate Travel Ban

A Nigerian policeman collecting a bribe.

On April 27, President Muhammadu Buhari during his third nationwide broadcast on measures taken by the government to curb the spread of the coronavirus announced a ban on non-essential interstate travels. The president also declared a nationwide curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.

What Mr Buhari may not have realised was that his directive would create an extortion bazaar for security personnel, state government officials and other non-state actors across the country.

A PREMIUM TIMES investigation across the six geo-political regions of Nigeria revealed that state governors who had originally called for the ban on interstate travels did very little in their domains to ensure full compliance; with some choosing rather to erect easily breached flimsy gates at major boundaries with neighbouring states which did little or nothing to stop motorists willing to bribe security officials or residents of surrounding villages from travelling through.

For five days, PREMIUM TIMES' reporters travelled across 21 states and Abuja with little or no restrictions gathering pieces of evidence from tens of security checkpoints, bus terminals, towns and villages across their routes.



Breaches at Bus Terminals

The first sign that many Nigerians, especially non-essential commercial transporters, did not think much of the presidential directive and that state governments were not keen on enforcing it could be observed at major interstate bus terminals across the country.

Penultimate Sunday, at the popular Jibowu and Berger bus terminals in Lagos, business continued as usual for a lot of transport operators. Though the offices of branded and registered interstate transport bus operators were closed for business in compliance with Mr Buhari's directive, business was booming mainly for operators of Toyota Sienna minivans and owners of unbranded buses.

At Jibowu, touts made no attempt to hide their operations as they openly solicited for passengers and goods into several Toyota Sienna minivans parked along the main road and adjoining streets. No security personnel or state government enforcement officials were seen around.



In Abuja, the story was not different. About 20 minutes' drive from the Garki headquarters of the Nigeria Police, commercial vehicles at Nyanya Park in Abuja convey passengers travelling to Kaduna daily, breaching the interstate travel ban.

Inside the Nyanya park, also commonly called El-Rufai Park, on Wednesday morning, passengers were expressing fears about a possible arrest for breaching the government ban order, but one driver allayed their fears.

"You know El-Rufai (Kaduna State Governor) blocking entry into Kaduna and we may be arrested or have to be quarantined for 14 days before entering," said a worried passenger, taking a piece of furniture to Kaduna.