Motorists and commuters on Saturday encountered severe difficulty in making use of the Onitsha-Owerri Road in Anambra state due to the downpour which started early in the morning. Over the years, from the Upper Iweka section to the School of Metallurgical areas, particularly the Amanator sections, the expressway has been plagued with heavy potholes which swallow up vehicles and cause dangers to motorists.
In addition, the Nigerian Navy always mount roadblocks on both lanes at Enamel Junction, collecting N200 from tricycle operators plying the area in the name of enforcing a curfew imposed on tricycle operators by the state government since 2022.
A stranded commuter who identified himself as Silas Madu said, “We are suffering a lot on this road as a result of its terrible condition which has been abandoned and on top of this, the navy people are worsening our condition with the roadblock they mounted which they are using to extort commercial vehicles.
We are appealing to the state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, to lift the curfe The Onitsha-Owerri Road is a critical road for the South-East and has been left abandoned, making it almost unmotorable.
Another road user, Kevin Okeke, said they are suffering from extortion at military checkpoints. The state police spokesman, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, frowned on the situation and urged members of the public to come up with evidence to enable the police to investigate the situation. He said it is wrong and it is not part of their mode of operation to extort motorists in any guise.
