The Sanity Multi-Efforts Forum (SMEF) has demanded urgent government intervention after motorists on the Lambata-Suleja road were forced on Monday, August 18, 2026, to pay an illegal N500 passage fee at a blockade mounted by locals on the federal highway.
Eyewitnesses said the blockade dragged on for several hours, stranding commuters, haulage drivers and travellers on a route already notorious for potholes, gridlock and insecurity.
COMMUTERS SPEAK OUT
Motorists caught up in the blockade described it as yet another burden on already struggling Nigerians.
A stranded commuter said he had been at the spot since morning, watching as N500 was collected from every vehicle, and questioned how ordinary citizens could turn a federal road into a toll gate.
A commercial driver on the Abuja-Minna route lamented that road users were already paying the price of bad roads and rising fuel costs, and warned that government must act quickly before the area degenerates into a haven for kidnappers.
A driver with Benid Industries Limited, whose fleet operations fall under SMEF’s transport safety advocacy, said his truck was held for over three hours, leading to lost productive time and higher costs. He alleged that those collecting the money threatened violence against anyone who refused to pay, and said the extortion — a recurring experience for the company’s drivers — required SMEF’s intervention.
A PATTERN OF DISRUPTION
The Lambata-Suleja corridor, which links the Federal Capital Territory to Niger State and the North Central region, has a long history of disruption.
In 2021, transport unions blockaded the Bida-Lambata, Bida-Minna and Lambata-Minna roads, a dispute that ended in a court judgment awarding N1 billion in damages to road users. That same year, gunmen blocked sections of the Suleja-Lambata-Izom-Minna road and abducted construction workers.
In 2024, the House of Representatives raised the alarm over an 18-kilometre gridlock on the Lambata-Suleja stretch caused by failed sections of the road, which forced motorists onto unsafe alternative routes.
The data backs up the pattern: a 2024 SB Morgen Intelligence report on transportation in Nigeria found that 86 per cent of transporters linked bad roads to higher fares, while 56 per cent said poor road sections lengthen travel time. Roadblocks, poor road conditions and insecurity ranked among the top challenges identified.
SMEF says the emergence of illegal tolls by non-state actors adds a fresh layer to this crisis. Industry analysts note that such extortion ultimately drives up the price of food, drugs, building materials and other goods — something SMEF describes bluntly as economic sabotage.
SMEF’S MANDATE AND POSITION
As a CAC-registered, non-profit and non-political organisation, SMEF’s work includes:
Improving road safety, security and infrastructure, and reducing roadblocks, extortion and harassment.
Supporting citizens who face harassment or extortion, and providing channels for reporting such cases.
Tackling corruption and abuse of power, and promoting accountability in governance.
The forum insists no individual or group has the authority to block a public highway or extort money from road users, stressing that such conduct violates Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees freedom of movement. It also runs contrary to the Federal Government’s tax reform policy and the Joint Revenue Board’s directive abolishing illegal roadblocks and multiple taxation.
SMEF maintains that “Building a Legacy of Sanity” means confronting practices that normalise wrongdoing, declaring that “Sanity Must Be It” on Nigeria’s highways and in public service delivery.
CALLS TO ACTION
SMEF is calling for immediate steps from the relevant authorities:
The Niger State Government and security agencies should dismantle the blockade, restore free passage, and prosecute those responsible.
The Federal Ministry of Works and FERMA should fast-track rehabilitation of the Lambata-Suleja road to end the gridlock and shut down opportunities for criminality.
The Federal Government should enforce its nationwide ban on illegal roadblocks and collaborate with civil society organisations such as SMEF that monitor road safety, extortion and governance.
Members of the public are urged to report cases of extortion through SMEF’s open reporting channels.
REPORT TO SMEF:
64, Chucks Plaza, IBB Way, Opposite Moremi House, Lokoja, Kogi State.
Email: sanitymultieffortsforum@gmail.com
Phone: 08111963351, 08133357222, 08131331188, 08022299952
WIDER IMPLICATIONS
SMEF describes road extortion as part of a broader problem plaguing markets, checkpoints and public service delivery across the country — one that fuels the rising cost of living, undermines productivity, and erodes public trust.
The forum reaffirmed its commitment to ethical practice, transparency and accountability, pledging to keep monitoring the situation and pushing for policies that protect ordinary Nigerians.
Roads, SMEF insists, are public assets — and they must remain free, safe and motorable for all.
