Your Excellency, Senator David Mark, the President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, we, the undersigned, call on you and the National Assembly to enact a law restraining Policemen from extorting money from Nigerians on the roads.

For decades now, the issue of Policemen harassing Nigerians and collecting money from them on the roads has been an unresolved issue. Several reports have been sent to Commissioners of Police in the various states and each time they claim ignorance of this ugly practice by their men. The question remains, why has this menace in the society remained unabated if the high ranking officers of the Force do not approve of it? We have never heard from any of the State Commands that a Policeman was punished or even queried for collecting money from people on the road, atleast to show that the "ogas" in the office disapprove of the act.

It is very shameful for Policemen to boldly extort money from road users in this country and everybody is keeping quiet, including the Government and law makers.

The consequences of this evil act are so numerous, including untold delays and long queues in the traffic, loss of lives due to accidents and confrontations with armed Policemen, etc.

Your Excellency, since the IGP and his men have failed to address the situation, we the undersigned are calling on you and the members of the various arms of the National Assembly to enact a law restraining the Police from such nefarious and humiliating acts. It does not portray Nigeria well to the international community.

The primary constitutional responsibility of the Nigeria Police Force is to secure the lives and properties of Nigerians and not to molest and extort money from them. Mounting security checks on the roads in search of miscreants and armed robbers is good and we do not complain about that.

Your Excellency, this act has got to an alarming stage and that is why we are mobilizing support to bring it to an end through a legislative means. Nigerians would be greatly relieved if this practice is stopped. We therefore call upon you and other members of the Senate as well as the House of Representatives to give heed to this call and put an end to this criminal act on our roads.

Nigerians would be very glad to celebrate the 50 years Independence Anniversary with a total ban on this practice in the spirit of the re-brand Nigeria project.

Nigeria... Good People! Great Nation!!

Signed:

AFRICAN YOUTH DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION (AFRYDEF),

www.inspireyouths.org