Maduako Igbokwe I Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023
ONITSHA, Anambra, Nigeria – Combined team of Operation Clean And Healthy Anambra ( OCHA ) Brigandage on Tuesday arrested 14 persons in Okpoko, Ogbaru local government area and Onitsha Commercial town for illegal revenues collections from Keke and bus drivers.
Among those arrested were nine street traders blocking the major roads with their goods at River Niger Bridge Head and Owerri road Onitsha against the order of the Anambra state government.
Gov Charles Soludo had banned the activities of fake Revenue Agents directing commercial buses and tricycle Operators to pay directly into the banks.
Soludo also stated that street trading in the state is not acceptable to government as it has contributed to the blocking of drains thereby causing traffic gridlock in the major cities of the state
Before the arrival of the enforcement team at Ifeanyichukwu street Okpoko ,it was gathered that three Keke tricycles had their wind screens smashed by the touts and money forcefully taken from them .
It was also learnt that the arrest of fake revenue agents was made possible through a distress call from Keke Operators who were victims of the fake Revenue Agents.
A victim said that “These people collect between N500.00 and N1,000.00 from us the Keke Operators while they collect between N3,000.00 and N5,000.00 from minibus and bigger trucks and if you refuse to pay they would smash the wind screen of your vehicle”
However,during the raid, there were attempt by some of the touts to attack the enforcement team with bottles but they were repelled by the team and some were arrested in the process.
According to the Anambra North Senatorial District Commander of Ocha Brigade,Mr Daniel Martins the essence of the enforcement was to restore sanity and protect the traders from harm by the unlikely incident along those roads and streets.
“Our challenge is that they will still come back again and they have shops inside the markets but they will abandon their shops and come to the streets to trade and this is against our terms of reference when we were established” he said.
Mr Ifeanyi Ezeani who is the Enforcement officer for Ogbaru local government area noted that the fake Revenue Agents would be handed over to the police for prosecution.
“These boys have been ripping off innocent motorists and Keke Operators and this is the end of the road for them because they would be taken to the police and ultimately charged to court ” he said.
