By Ovat Abeng
Anambra state government has arrested three suspected illegal revenue collectors in Onitsha, Anambra State.
It was gathered that the suspects were arrested in the early hours of Tuesday, April 6, 2025 extorting and intimidating traders, residents and motorists in the commercial city of the State.
They were also nabbed for masquerading themselves as state government IGR collectors.
Addressing the press shortly after parading the suspects at the Revenue House Awka, on Wednesday, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Anambra Internal Revenue Service (AIRS), Dr Greg Ezeilo, said that the three suspects who are unknown to the state government, intimidate and extort unsuspecting members of public of their hard earned money in Onitsha and it environ.
According to him, the present administration of governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo in Anambra has migrated from printing papers formed of revenue collection to digitalized system in the state.
“The printing receipts boldly writing, “General Purpose Levy N30,000 found with the arrested culprits is fake and not know to the Anambra Internal Revenue Service AIRS under my watch. The public should take note of it.
“The culprits are trying to undermine Mr governor’s vision of making Anambra State a destination point in Nigeria.
“The suspects must be charged to Court to proof to the Court whether the tickets they are giving to the public, particularly Onitsha traders are genuine or fake and if its fake, they would be punished severely.
“Investigation is ongoing to arrest the major sponsors of this culprits.”
Ezeilo warned every tax payer in the state not to pay their taxes to anyone who don’t operate via electronic system of levy collection.