Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu has banned touting and collection of revenue on major roads in the state.
The Governor in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Onyebuchi Ememanka said it had become illegal for revenue agents to harass motorists and road users in major roads of the State.
The statement added that the executive Chairman of Osisioma Ngwa LGA, Mr Christian Kamalu has been mandated to clear the Osisioma flyover of undesirable elements, while the Police and other law enforcement agencies have been mandated enforce the directive, adding that any one fiubd culpable would face the law.
The State government regretted that the activities of such touts constituted nuisance to the cities as well as misrepresented the State government’s true revenue drive.
Meanwhile, the Abia State Board of Internal Revenue (BIR) has alerted Abians of some group of persons masquerading as genuine revenue agents of the Abia State government with the bid of defrauding such unsuspecting members of the public.
In a release on Thursday signed by Mr Agbara Celestine, the acting Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Abia BIR, the revenue agency warned that the fake revenue agents were operating in some parts of the State like Umunneochi, Ukwa, Aba, Lokpanta etc using the name of some State-owned parastatals to defraud some unsuspecting members of the public.
The release reminded Abians that the Board of Internal Revenue was the only agency charged authorising such operations and as such, any suspected activities of the agents to the BIR headquarters opposite State secretariat, Umuahia.
