Open Letter To The IG, NASS, And Southern Governors.

Re-movement of human cargo from the North to South using trucks against official lockdown by the Federal Government.

The attention of the Nigeria Christian Graduate Fellowship has been drawn to reports of human cargo in disguise of goods by trucks from the North to the South despite the lockdown by the Federal and State governments as a measure to curtail the spread of the covid19 pandemic.

Cursory assessment of these human cargoes reveal able bodied men classified as almajiris being off loaded in the states of the South East, South South and South West geopolitical zones The same is reported of some middle belt States like Nasarawa from core northern States already heavily infested with the dreaded disease The mission of these human cargoes in the wake of the pandemic that is already ravaging most of the Northern states can only be conjectured. Either as instruments of spreading the infection which impact in most of the southern States is at minimal currently or they are as advance party to ominous plan of invasion as already being insinuated by people. Whatever be the intention, the timing of this human cargo smuggling into these areas of the nation is wrong and counterproductive to whatever anybody can claim as right of freedom of movement and settlement in any part of the country.

We are more concerned that this illegal human trafficking is taking place in the presence of security agencies who have the responsibility of enforcing the lockdown and restriction of movement. We are all aware that between Oturkpa junction in Benue state to Iriebe in Rivers state there is close to one hundred military checkpoints and double the number of police checkpoints. The same can be said of the western flank of the national highways, yet these illegal movements have continued unabated. In the last week, three interceptions took place along the eastern axis. A team of locals intercepted an Eastern-bound luxurious bus with 60 Northerners at Obollo Afor axis.

At the Lokpanta axis in Abia state, a trailer load of close to 200 same human cargo was intercepted. Less than 24 hours at the Abia state boundary with Akwa Ibom at Ariam another human cargo in a Dangote truck was also intercepted. In each of these places, there is a military roadblock. In one of the incidents, the driver of the truck was said to have confessed that the police collected N4,000 from each of the passengers to allow them passage. A proof that the security agencies are colluding in the illegal movement. Cases of interceptions are being reported around Lagos of trucks from the north with human cargo whose missions are not clearly stated.

Of greater concern is that the so called Almajiris if they are should not be in position of paying their way to the south. But those arrested who confessed to have bribed security agencies are loaded showing that they are not Almajiris in the real sense of the word. But maybe people representing a sinister interest.

While we call on the Inspector-General Police and the GOC 82 Division of the Nigeria Army and his counterpart in the southwest to call their officers and men on the North-South East and southwest flanks of the Nigeria highways to order and discipline the erring officers, we call on the Southern governors to take the destiny of their region as a priority by evolving an independent ad hoc security arrangement to forestall this illegal movement of humans whose COVID-19 status they cannot vouch and other intentions by the illegal migrants.

The safety of the region is being compromised and they are under obligation as chief security officers of the region to protect their citizens. It is a known fact that one man’s freedom ends where another man’s freedom begins. These human cargoes moving in the cover of the night violating federal and state governments directives cannot claim a breach of their freedom when their movements endanger the safety of others. A stitch in time should save nine.

We also, call on the citizens of the states in the South not to take their safety for granted as price of freedom is eternal vigilance. They should do everything within the ambit of the law to ensure the safety of their communities. At the same time, we call on the entire south to be vigilante as there is more to these surreptitious exportation of these human cargoes from the North than meets the eye. Boko haram threat to invade the south cannot be ruled out.

It is a known fact that the Chadian government has put Boko haram in disarray. The embattled sect is looking for a safer haven and the unprotected South will be an easy alternative. This is why no stone should be left unturned to check the present trend.