They noted that the military checkpoints have become a source of harassment and suffering for residents and citizens across the region.
A team of lawyers led by human rights lawyer, Barrister Aloy Ejimakor, has dragged the Nigerian Army and President Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian government to court, challenging what the militarisation of the South-East region.
The lawyers, in the suit filed at the High Court of Enugu State on June 17, 2026, with Chinedu Augustine Agbodike acting as the applicant on behalf of the people of the South-East, are seeking the dismantling of military checkpoints across the South-East and demanding N500 billion in damages over alleged widespread human rights abuses in the region.
The respondents in the suit are the Chief of Army Staff, the Nigerian Army, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, and the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Barristers Ejimakor, Patrick Agazie, and their associates said they initiated the legal action in response to the proliferation of military checkpoints across Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo, and Abia states.
