FG, army sued over ‘indiscriminate’ military checkpoints in south-east
A legal action has been instituted against the federal government and the Nigerian Army over the alleged excessive deployment of military checkpoints across Nigeria’s south-east region.
The suit, filed at the Enugu State High Court on June 17, 2026, was brought by Chinedu Agbodike on behalf of residents of Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo, and Abia states.
Named as respondents in the case are the Chief of Army Staff, the Nigerian Army, the Attorney-General of the Federation, and the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Agbodike’s legal team, led by Aloy Ejimakor alongside P.N. Agazie, B.C. Anys, B.K. Agazie, Chinwe Agazie, Eguzoribe Ozioma, E.C. Eze, and Iloanya Florence, argued that the widespread military checkpoints in the region have allegedly resulted in harassment, extortion, arbitrary arrests, and violations of citizens’ constitutional rights.
According to the suit, the routine deployment of soldiers for checkpoint and roadblock operations in the south-east amounts to an unconstitutional assumption of policing duties reserved for the Nigeria Police Force under Section 214 of the 1999 Constitution.
The applicants are asking the court to declare the continued militarisation of the five south-east states as unlawful, alleging that it infringes on citizens’ rights to freedom of movement, personal liberty, dignity, and protection from discrimination.
The suit further accused military personnel of profiling and targeting residents based on ethnicity, appearance, hairstyles, tattoos, language, dressing, and perceived affiliations at checkpoints across the region.
Among the reliefs sought, the applicants requested an order compelling the respondents to dismantle all military checkpoints and roadblocks on federal and state roads in the south-east, except in situations expressly permitted by law or justified by exceptional security concerns.
They also urged the court to direct the Attorney-General of the Federation to establish a panel to investigate alleged human rights abuses linked to military operations in the region.
Additionally, the applicants are seeking N500 billion in exemplary, aggravated, and general damages for what they described as persistent violations of the fundamental rights of residents in the south-east.
