Apparently determined to unravel the mystery behind the persistence of checkpoints on the nation's highways, the police authorities have fished out and are investigating 129 police officers, including four commissioners.

The affected officers, now being held at various police commands nationwide, will soon be moved to Abuja to face various disciplinary actions (including dismissal) for being "recalcitrant, indecent and unfit to continue answering policemen under the current dispensation". They allegedly continued to get involved in roadblock activities despite repeated warnings by the inspector-general of police, Mr. Ogbonna Onovo. One of the top cops is said to be the commissioner of police in charge of the Mobile Police Unit known for its notoriety in the unholy act. Others made up of sergeants, corporals and constables, have confessed in their statements that their superiors assigned them to various checkpoints.

This is the first time that the police authorities have taken a bold step aimed at getting to the root of the national malaise. And it has taken the recent carnage along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway - a truck fleeing police extortion ran into a petrol tanker at a checkpoint, setting off a conflagration that led to the death of over 50 people and burning of several vehicles - to jolt the force out of its age-long complacency.

Everyone knows why the corrupt elements in the police system have been unwilling to let go of the checkpoints despite the orders from successive IGPs. Desirable as the checkpoints may be as a measure to counter criminal activities on the highways, they have become avenues for extorting money from motorists, especially commercial vehicle drivers. Drivers or their passengers have been killed or brutalized for failing to part with as little as N20. Also, the activities of the checkpoint vermin in the force often encourage highway robbers masquerading as policemen on duty to mount roadblocks and wreak havoc on innocent travellers.

If the deep-seated rot in the force is any indication, then, the officers and men who have been fished out should constitute a tip of the iceberg. The police authorities should dig deeper - and continuously too. Nevertheless, there is the urgent need to improve on the welfare and working conditions of Nigerian policemen. A well-paid police officer will resist the temptation to misuse his position for personal aggrandizement. It is hoped that the ongoing reform in the system will address the several problems that have turned them into foes rather friends of the people they are paid to protect.