Council Officials Attack By Fake Revenue Collectors

The Ile Epo market...

We gathered that about ELEVEN persons have been arrested by the police for alleged illegal collection of revenue at Ile Epo Market in Abule Egba, Lagos.

There is reliable information that the suspects were said to have in the past attacked and chased away council officials from doing their job.

They also allegedly forcibly collected toll, trading and offloading revenue from

truck drivers bringing goods into the market from the
north and east.

MyNation News gathered that their arrest followed petitions by Agbado/Oke Odo Local Council Development Area to the Oke Odo Police Division and Lagos Police Command on unauthorised revenue collectors’ activities in the market.

The said arrest was carried out by men of Oke Odo Police Division.

All that are involve in the crime have been charged before an Ogba Magistrates’ Court in Lagos for alleged unlawful collection of revenue.

We gathered that the council’s Executive Secretary, David Famuyiwa, said the council was constrained to inform the police to arrest perpetrators following several protests by outraged traders.

“I have held several meetings with the perpetrators in the past and asked them to desist from the illegal acts but they refused to stop their illegalities. We have taken legitimate step to curb their activities by inviting law enforcement agents and we will not resort to self help to stop their unscrupulous activities in the market.

“On several occasions, these illegal revenue collectors attacked and chased our revenue collectors out of the market. They extended their nefarious activities by forcibly collecting toll, trading and offloading revenue from truck drivers who bring goods into the market from the north and east. Hence, we wrote petitions to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Oke Odo Division, Area ‘M’ Command and Commissioner of Police among others.

Famuyiwa denied that the council had engaged National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) members to forcibly collect revenue from traders.

The traders accused NURTW hoodlums of attacking them in a bid to forcibly collect revenue.