No fewer than eleven persons have been apprehended in connection with illegal collection of revenue at Ile Epo Market in Abule Egba, Lagos state.
Their arrest followed a petition by Agbado/Oke Odo Local Council Development Area to the Oke Odo Police Division and Lagos Police Command on unauthorized revenue collectors’ activities in the market.
According to reports, the suspects who were said to have in the past attacked and chased away council officials from doing their job, also alleged to have forcibly collected toll, trading and offloading revenue from truck drivers bringing goods into the market.
The arrest was carried out by men of Oke Odo Police Division and those arrested have been charged before an Ogba Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.
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.
Famuyiwa said, “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.
“Times without number, 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.
“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.
“Hence, we wrote petitions to the Divisional Police Officer of Oke Odo Division, Area ‘M’ Command and Commissioner of Police among others,” Famuyiwa added.
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