Road Workers, Shop Owners lament over extreme measures of Revenue Collectors in Rivers State

By Clifford Ejekwu

      Following reports and complains from National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor Chapter to the Chairmen of the aforementioned Local Government Area, sometime early last month. Despite this move by members of NURTW, the ugly and brutal activities of these revenue agents of both L.G.A’s on motorist and shop owners is on the increase day by day.

One may ask this sensible question, Are both Chairmen of the mentioned Local Government Areas in support of these ugly activities? Have they tried calling their agents to order and they refused? And what are they doing to curtail or even stop the ugly and intimidating activities of these hoodlums they call their Task/force and revenue collectors.

Just at about 9:30am, September 26, 2018 a shop owner that sells building materials at Rumuokoro was rushed to Amazing Grace Clinic at Rumuodomaya with a very big matchet cut on his face.

An eyewitness revealed that, some revenue agents from Obio/Akpor L.G.A stormed the young man’s shop this morning demanding that he should pay for his tenement receipt, the young man asked them to come back later in the day as it was too early and he has not made any sales. The revenue agents refused and attempted to impound some of his goods, on attempt to stop the revenue agents, one of the agents collected a matchet the shop owner sells on his shop and used it on his face and head, the shop owner fell down bleeding and immediately the agents rushed into their car and zoomed off.

Also, yesterday some taskforce with a Nissan Wagon blocked a car along Rukpokwu road in an attempt to collect the car key from the driver which resulted to serious dragging, a finger of the driver was broken, the key collected from him and the car driven to Obio/Akpor Secretariat. The same thing happened around Moscow Road last week Monday, 17^th September, 2018, very close to Port Harcourt City council Secretariat where the driver was really beaten and his own car driven into the Council Secretariat.

Some drivers and shop owners within Rumuokoro have been chanting this morning saying ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

Finally, if the activities of this Taskforce and revenue collectors is in accordance with the directives of both Local Government Chairmen, thereby given the state a bad image, I will urge our good Spirited Governor Chief Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike to do something to stop further ugly occurrence.