SOLDIERS' CRIMINAL EXTORTION ON NIGERIAN HIGHWAY DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

From the Niger River and across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria, military
checkpoints are an unmistakable presence, albeit a complex hub of corruption. On a
daily, soldiers extort money from commuters, especially long journey truck drivers as
they deliver goods and produce across Nigeria. This study examines this corrupt
phenomenon of soldiers' extortion of long journey truck drivers at military security
checkpoints on Nigerian highways. It uses fifteen one-on-one qualitative interviews
with truck owners and truck drivers who ply different highways across Nigeria. The
study finds that the drivers are subjected to predatory and forceful extortion by
soldiers, an act which reached an extreme high during the restriction of interstate
travels to curb the spread of COVID-19. However, although drivers subjected to this
corrupt act loathe to offer money to soldiers, the soldiers abuse their power by
coercing them to oblige. This study examines the implication this has for the
entrepreneurs and for the military profession, given that extortion has become a norm
at checkpoints.