A group of legal practitioners led by Aloy Ejimakor and Patrick Agazie has filed a class action suit challenging the widespread presence of military checkpoints across Nigeria’s South-East region.
The suit, filed at the Enugu State High Court on June 17, 2026, seeks the removal of military checkpoints in the region and demands ₦500 billion in damages for alleged violations of citizens’ fundamental rights.
The case was instituted by Chinedu Augustine Agbodike on behalf of residents of the South-East, with the Chief of Army Staff, the Nigerian Army, the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Federal Government listed as respondents.
According to the applicants, the increasing number of military checkpoints across Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo and Abia states has become oppressive and has subjected residents to harassment, extortion, arbitrary arrests, unlawful detention, torture and other forms of abuse.
The lawyers argued that the deployment of military personnel for routine policing duties and checkpoint operations within the South-East lacks constitutional backing and amounts to an unlawful assumption of powers assigned to the Nigeria Police Force.
In the suit, the applicants are seeking several declarations from the court, including a ruling that the continued operation of military checkpoints in the region violates rights guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
They also asked the court to declare the militarisation of the South-East unconstitutional, alleging that it has resulted in unjustifiable restrictions on freedom of movement, personal liberty and human dignity.
The applicants further alleged that citizens are frequently profiled and targeted at checkpoints based on ethnicity, age, appearance, language, hairstyle, tattoos and perceived affiliations.
As part of the reliefs sought, the lawyers requested an order directing the immediate dismantling of military checkpoints and routine roadblocks across the five South-East states, except in situations specifically authorised by law or justified by exceptional security circumstances.
They also urged the court to compel the Attorney-General of the Federation to establish an independent investigative panel to probe allegations of extortion, brutality, torture, unlawful detention, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings linked to military checkpoint operations in the region since 2018.
The suit is additionally seeking ₦500 billion in exemplary, aggravated and general damages against the respondents for what the applicants described as widespread and continuing violations of the rights of South-East residents.
The applicants also requested a formal public apology to the people of Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo and Abia states, to be published in national newspapers and broadcast on television stations across the country.
Furthermore, they are seeking a perpetual injunction restraining the respondents from establishing or redeploying military checkpoints in the South-East except under circumstances expressly authorised by the Constitution, an Act of the National Assembly or a lawful declaration of a state of emergency.
The case is expected to test the legality of military involvement in internal security operations and the balance between national security measures and the protection of citizens’ constitutional rights.
