By Emmanuel Kanayo
There was drama along the Auchi-Aviele road in Edo State last week after angry youths and motorists confronted policemen at a checkpoint over alleged extortion.
A video of the incident, which has now gone viral on social media, shows the youths searching uniformed policemen and displaying wads of naira notes which they claimed were extorted from road users.
In the video seen by our correspondent, the youths are seen counting bundles of cash while the policemen looked on. The exact time the incident occurred could not be immediately ascertained, but the video surfaced online last week.
Motorists plying the route have repeatedly complained about alleged extortion at police checkpoints.
A road user who spoke in the video alleged that motorists were being forced to pay money before being allowed to pass.
As at press time, the authenticity of the video, the exact amount of money shown, and the identities of the officers involved have not been independently verified by this newspaper.
When contacted, the Edo State Police Command is yet to issue an official statement on the incident. Efforts to get reaction from the Police Public Relations Officer were ongoing at the time of filing this report.
The incident has sparked reactions on social media, with many Nigerians calling on the Inspector General of Police to investigate the matter and strengthen supervision of checkpoints across the country.
Residents say they want police reform that will restore public confidence in the force.
