Legal practitioners, Aloy Ejimakor, Patrick Agazie and their associates have initiated a class action suit against the proliferation of military checkpoints in the Southeast.
The lawyers said the checkpoints have become oppressive and a menace to the people of the Southeast.
In the fundamental rights suit in which Chinedu Augustine Agbodike is the Applicant on behalf of the people of Southeast, the Chief of Army Staff, Nigerian Army, the Attorney General of the Federation and the Federal Government of Nigeria were listed as the Respondents.
They demanded the sum of five billion naira as exemplary, aggravated and general damages for the widespread and continuing violation of the fundamental rights of citizens of the South-East region of Nigeria.
The suit, which was filed at the High Court of Enugu State on 17th June 2026, specifically sought the following declarations and orders.
The orders read: “A declaration that the indiscriminate deployment, establishment, operation and maintenance of military checkpoints and roadblocks by the Respondents across Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo and Abia States, which have resulted in harassment, extortion, arbitrary arrests, unlawful detention, torture, degrading treatment, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings of citizens, constitute violations of the fundamental rights guaranteed under Sections 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 39, 40, 41 and 42 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and Articles 4, 5, 6, I, 11, 12 and 19 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
“A declaration that the routine deployment of military personnel for internal policing, roadblock operations and checkpoint duties
within the South-East region by the respondents without express constitutional or statutory authorisation is unconstitutional, unlawful, illegal, null and void, and constitutes abuse and violation of the fundamental rights of the people of the South-Eastern part of Nigeria.
“A declaration that the assumption by the 1st and 2nd Respondents of internal policing functions constitutionally vested in the Nigeria Police Force under Section 214 of the Constitution amounts to an unlawful usurpation of powers and is therefore unconstitutional, and same constitutes abuse and violation of human rights of the people of South Eastern Nigeria.
“A declaration that the excessive militarisation of Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo and Abia States amounts to an unjustifiable and
disproportionate interference with the rights to freedom of movement, personal liberty, human dignity and freedom from discrimination guaranteed under Chapter IV of the Constitution, thereby violating the constitutional rights of the people of South Eastern Nigeria.
“A declaration that the discriminatory profiling and targeting of citizens by the 1st and 2nd Respondents at various military checkpoints/roadblocks on the roads of Enugu, Abia, Ebonyi, Anambra and Imo States on account of their ethnicity, age, mode of dressing, hairstyle, tattoos, language, physical appearance or perceived affiliations is unconstitutional, illegal, oppressive and a violation of their Constitutional rights under Chapter IV of the Constitution, particularly Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
“An order directing the lst and 2nd Respondents to immediately dismantle, remove and discontinue all military checkpoints and routine roadblocks operating on federal and state roads within Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo and Abia States except where such deployments are specifically authorised by law and justified by exceptional security circumstances, in accordance with due process of law.
“An order directing the 3rd Respondent to establish an independent, transparent and comprehensive investigative mechanism to identify, investigate and prosecute all military personnel implicated in incidents of brutality, extortion, torture, unlawful detention, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings committed at military checkpoints within the South-East region from 2018 to date.
“An order awarding the sum of N500,000,000,000.00 (Five Hundred Billion Naira) as exemplary, aggravated and general damages against the Respondents jointly and severally for the widespread and continuing violation of the fundamental rights of citizens of the South-East Region of Nigeria.
“An order directing the Respondents to issue a formal public apology to the citizens of Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo and Abia States in at least three national newspapers and on national television stations for the infringement of their fundamental rights as constitutionally guaranteed.
“An order of perpetual injunction restraining the Respondents, whether by themselves, their officers, agents, servants, privies or any persons acting under their authority, from establishing, maintaining or redeploying military checkpoints or roadblocks in the
South-East region except in circumstances expressly authorized by the Constitution, an Act of the National Assembly or a lawful declaration of emergency.”
