An open letter addressed to Governor Hyacinth Alia and the Commissioner of Police, Benue State Command, has called for urgent action to end what the writers describe as widespread extortion by police officers on the state’s roads.
The letter, signed by Concerned Citizens of Benue State, states that traders, farmers, and civil servants are being “bled dry” by officers meant to protect them. It alleges that many officers no longer focus on checking vehicles for overload, faulty lights, or suspicious items under the bonnet, but instead stop drivers and conductors solely to demand cash.
The writers cite the Gboko to Akpagher route as an example, claiming it has more than seven police checkpoints where each officer demands a minimum of ₦500 from commercial drivers and motorists. This, they say, costs a single vehicle ₦3,500 per trip. Using a conservative estimate of 50 officers collecting an average of ₦5,000 each daily, the letter calculates that over ₦7.5 million could be collected monthly in cash, off the books, from ordinary citizens.
The alleged practice, according to the letter, has led to higher transport fares, rising food prices, families going hungry, and investors and businesses leaving the state. “You are not securing us. You are taxing us into poverty,” the writers stated.
They put forward four demands: reduce checkpoints to only one per local government route that is visible, well-lit, and fitted with a complaints board; install CCTV or tracked patrol vehicles to eliminate cash collections; publish a toll-free number for drivers to report extortion with action taken within 24 hours; and prosecute just three officers caught collecting illegal fees as a deterrent to others.
The letter concludes by appealing to the Governor and Police Commissioner to act immediately, stressing that Benue people are not criminals but voters, kinsmen, and supporters who are watching and will remember.
