Members of the Ebonyi State Internal Revenue Board, IRB and men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC, have arrested five suspected illegal international market revenue collectors in the state.

The arrest was made during a raid on the market. The suspects were arrested at different locations of the market collecting the illegal fee from the market women.

Among the items recovered from them are some booklets with receipts and money already collected from poor women and children selling water, vegetables and other small items.

Market women at the market immediately after the arrest started singing the praises of Governor Francis Nwifuru.

Some of the women told DAILY POST that illegal revenue collectors have been a thorn in their flesh as they collect between N50 and N100 daily or they will carry their goods waiting when they pay.

The Revenue Board team leader, Emmanuel Elechi, who is also in charge of ICT in the board, said the arrest of the suspects was based on continued flouting of Governor Nwifuru’s directive to exempt small traders and vegetable vendors from payment of revenue.

“We are determined to root out illegal revenue collectors who are determined to tarnish the image of the council. We must strictly follow the governor’s directive to allow small traders and vegetable vendors to do their business without paying taxes.

“Our governor in his wisdom knows what the poor are going through and has decided to ease the hardship but some people are sabotaging the gesture in a bid to enrich themselves. We cannot tolerate this, we will continue to arrest and prosecute them to serve as a deterrent to others.”

The council also signaled the automation of e-ticketing for commercial motorcycles and tricycle operators to checkmate offenses and close revenue leakages in the state.

The exercise was flagged off by the Chairman of the State Revenue Committee, Chief Christopher Omo-Isu.

He stated that the profiling of commercial motorcycles and Tricycles in the state would reduce crime and stop double taxation, saying that with the profiling and automation of revenue generation, any operator using the vehicles to commit crimes would be tracked, arrested and prosecuted.

Omo-Isu said the innovation would reduce sales in the markets, streets and main roads of the state as operators would have to go to registration points to register within two weeks after which enforcement would begin.

He urged the people of the state to introduce the new system that would bring health and safety in revenue generation and reduce the fight between vendors and bikers/operators.