Lawyers sue federal government and army over military checkpoints in Southeast, demand ₦500bn in damages

By Steve Oko

A group of lawyers, headed by Barristers Aloy Ejimakor and Patrick Agazie, has filed a class‑action lawsuit against the Federal Government, the Attorney General of the Federation, and the Nigerian Army. They allege that the military has set up an “indiscriminate proliferation” of checkpoints throughout the Southeast.

The case was lodged in the High Court of Enugu State on 17 June 2026, on behalf of residents of the region. The lead plaintiff is Chinedu Augustine Agbodike.

The plaintiffs seek several judicial declarations and remedies related to alleged human‑rights violations caused by military checkpoints in Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo and Abia States.

They ask the court to rule that the creation and operation of numerous military checkpoints and roadblocks in the area infringes constitutionally protected rights, including dignity, liberty, freedom of movement, privacy and protection from discrimination.

The suit also contends that deploying soldiers for routine internal‑security tasks—especially roadblock duties—constitutes an improper overlap with the statutory duties of the Nigerian Police Force.

According to the complaint, the presence of many checkpoints has led to accusations of harassment and other rights abuses, such as arbitrary arrests, unlawful detention and extortion.

Additionally, the plaintiffs claim that some residents are subjected to profiling at checkpoints based on ethnicity, appearance, dress, hairstyles, tattoos, language and perceived affiliations, which they describe as unlawful and discriminatory.

Among the reliefs sought, the applicants request that the court order a review of military checkpoint operations across the Southeast, allowing only those expressly authorised by law or justified by exceptional security needs.

They also seek an order directing the Chief of Army Staff and the Nigerian Army to establish an independent mechanism to investigate alleged misconduct at checkpoints, including cases of brutality and unlawful detention reported since 2018.

The suit demands ₦500 billion in general and exemplary damages against the defendants for the alleged violations of fundamental rights.

The plaintiffs further request a public apology from the Federal Government to residents of the Southeast, to be published in national newspapers and broadcast on television.

They also seek a perpetual injunction preventing the defendants and their agents from establishing or maintaining military checkpoints in the region, except as permitted by law or under a declared state of emergency.