How security forces prey on travellers between Lagos and Accra

In the heart of West Africa, a long stretch of road connecting Lagos, Cotonou, Lome, and Accra conceals a dark secret —a corridor plagued by human rights violations, extortion, and crimes of impunity committed by those entrusted with law enforcement.

GuardPost Nigeria in collaboration with the Norbert Zongo Cell for Investigative Journalism in West Africa (CENOZO), and other partners embarked on a relentless pursuit of truth, seeking to expose the rot within the very institutions meant to protect the innocent. Can shedding light on these crimes catalyse the reforms urgently needed to dismantle the barriers hindering sub-regional trade and integration?

In this multi-part series, we unravel systemic corruption, human rights abuses, and the collective toll on the people and economy of West Africa. Brace yourself for an eye-opening journey through the heart of West Africa’s international road corridor where law enforcement officials openly and shamelessly steal from the people.

The travails of Kwabena Danqua 

Kwabena Danquah, a Ghanaian businessman, faced a harrowing experience on the notorious West African corridor when his bank account issues forced him to travel from Lagos back to Accra. Danquah contacted his travel agent and asked to be booked on the next available flight back to Accra. The agent was unable to secure him a seat.

To wrap up his transaction in Lagos, he needed to have the lien on his account removed as soon as possible. Time was ticking away. Helpless and overwhelmed, he decided to take one of the bus services that ran between Lagos and Accra. That was the only option left.

Getting a bus was simple. All he had to do was download the app of one of the transport companies that serviced the route and book a seat online. The next morning, Danquah arrived at the bus station at 5 a.m., checked in without a hitch, and the bus pulled out at 6 a.m.

“I was lucky to take the front seat which allowed me a lot of leg space and the advantage of seeing everything along the way. With an air-conditioned bus which was almost brand new, I expected a very smooth ride and based on what the driver told us, we would hit Accra before 4.pm,” Danquah recounted.

As the vehicle got on the way, trouble started when they got to a checkpoint mounted by Nigeria’s anti-narcotic agency, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), just a few kilometres to Seme. An elderly anti-narcotic operative approached and requested the vehicle’s manifest from the driver.

“After collecting the manifest, the officer asked all of us (passengers) to come down and identify our luggage,” Danquah narrated. “I told him I had no luggage, and he smiled wickedly, asking why I would travel without one. I thought he was joking and joined the others to board the vehicle after the check. The driver was about to pull out when the elderly officer ordered me to come down.”

“How can you travel without luggage from Nigeria to Ghana? Go and sit down there,” the agent commanded the young Ghanaian.

That was how the NDLEA operatives detained Danquah in their Gbaji shade for over three hours. They did not accuse him of any drug-related crime; the elderly officer refused to let him go simply because he had no luggage. The officer only yielded when the bus driver threatened to escalate the matter to higher authorities.

This incident reflects the daily experiences of travelers along the Lagos, Cotonou, Lome, and Accra corridor. The ordeal of the young Ghanaian inspired us to embark on perilous journeys to uncover the crimes committed by security agents from the four West African states.

Preparation/methodology

A few days after Danquah shared his sad experience with us and volunteered the driver’s contact information, preparations for the investigation got underway. GuardPost immediately contacted the driver and requested a meeting in Lagos or Accra, but he declined, saying he was not permitted to speak on operational matters.

“Please don’t call to ask me about it again. I don’t want to get into trouble with my office. Go to our office and meet the manager. We are not allowed to speak on operational matters. My job is to drive immediately my bus is loaded. I don’t control what happens on the road,” the driver had said.

Determined to work on the story, our correspondent visited the Lagos and Accra offices of some of the transport companies operating along the route to solicit cooperation. They all lamented bitterly about the huge amount they spent on the illegal tollgates, longer travel time caused by excessive checkpoints and the stress on their drivers and passengers. Unfortunately, neither the transport companies nor their drivers would openly speak about their ordeals due to the fear of a predictable backlash.

“Everyone knows what is happening from Nigeria to Ghana. The governments of the four countries know what their security agents are doing. We cannot tell them what they already know,” an operations manager in one of the companies had told our correspondent.

Twelve trips, crazy experiences

Over 15 months starting from November 2022, our reporter undertook 12 challenging journeys to gather indisputable proof of crimes committed by those paid to fight crime. Our extensive preparation involved contacting transport companies, speaking to passengers and road agents, and immersing our correspondent in the experiences of travelers. By recording these experiences during both day and nighttime journeys, our reporter endured harsh treatment, revealing the toll on both passengers and transport companies.

While Google estimates the road distance between Accra and Lagos at 466 kilometers, with a driving time of nine hours and 39 minutes, the reality is far different. Our findings revealed that travelers face not only higher fares but also significant delays due to the over 175 checkpoints that slow down traffic and extend travel time from about 10 hours to 18 hours or more. (Pull out)

For those transporting goods or providing services, the higher fares and lost man-hours caused by the extended travel time are eventually passed on to customers, forcing them to pay more for what should cost much less.

A cocktail of checkpoints

As indicated earlier, this investigation was based on a total of 12 trips with six from Lagos to Accra and another six from Accra to Lagos. Our correspondent used the services of major transport companies to ensure personal safety and security.

We identified approximately 175 checkpoints that strangle the economic lifeline between Nigeria, Benin Republic, Togo and Ghana. The identified checkpoints started from Badagry in Lagos, Nigeria, to Prampram on the outskirts of Greater Accra, Ghana, and covered a total of 467-kilometers.  Our reporter boarded both day and night busses. It is important to note that the 175 checkpoints indicated in the report do not include the Benin Republic’s police observation posts or Ghana’s roving police teams.

Starting from Gbaji in Badagry, Lagos State to Seme border post, which Google puts at approximately 18 kilometres or 30 minutes’ drive, our correspondent counted an average of 132 checkpoints, with 66 located on each side of the dual carriageway. This is by far the highest number of checkpoints along the 467-kilometre international road corridor linking the four countries.

Ghana came in second place with 28 checkpoints that were counted from Prampram on the outskirts of Greater Accra to the Aflao border post.

According to Google, the distance between Accra and Aflao border post is approximately 186 kilometers, with a driving time of three hours and 28 minutes.

Benin Republic has about eight checkpoints created by three law enforcement agencies along a distance of approximately 163 kilometers or three hours and thirty minutes of driving time from its border with Nigeria to its border with Togo.

The Republic of Togo, which has the best-maintained highway along the route, has only four checkpoints, the least number of the four countries.

According to Google, the distance from Togo’s border with Benin Republic and the Aflao border station in Ghana is approximately 53 kilometers and takes one hour and eight minutes to drive.

This report was done by our partner GuardPost, supported by the Norbert Zongo Cell for Investigative Journalism in West Africa (CENOZO) and the Journalism Retool House, a charity arm of GuardPost. We have Guardpost’s permission to republish.