No fewer than ten fake revenue collectors were at the weekend apprehended in Onitsha, the Anambra commercial nerve centre.
News Echo gathered that the arrest was made by the Joint Taskforce team Officials comprising of the Anambra State Ministries of Transport, Trade, Commerce and Industry and Internal Revenue service on Illegal Revenue Collection at various Markets and flashpoints in the area.
Speaking, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Internally Generated Revenue Mr. Chuka Okosi said they were mandated by the State government to rid the State of illegal revenue collectors so as to provide a conducive environment for transporters, traders and their customers for businesses to thrive.
On their parts, the leaders in charge of Special Duties Anambra State Ministry of Transport, Mr. Sunny Okafor, the Chairman Taskforce on Illegal Revenue Collection Mr. Obinna Nweke and a member of the Team Mr. Ozoemena Owo regretted the nefarious activities of these illegal revenue collectors in various parts of the State.
They pointed out that the suspects have been parading themselves as government agents and assured that they will not rest on their oars until they are flushed out of the State calling on parents to caution their children to desist from crime and criminality.
Some of the traders at Ochanja market, Chief Ogbonna Obiekunie and Mr. Nnamdi Okwudili commended the State Government for the exercise saying that their activities have continued to scare customers away from their markets and called on the government to sustain the arrest while adding that an office be created where traders and customers could be directed to pay their levies to curb their excesses