Traders of Ariaria Market Aba, Abia State, under the aegis of Ariaria Markets Traders Association, AMATA, have protested what they called the re-emergence of illegal revenue collectors.

The brokers, who blockaded the premises of a neighborhood radio broadcast situated in Umungasi area of Aba on Thursday to enroll their dissent, claimed that notwithstanding the endorsed duty of N18,000, which they have acknowledged to pay, someone in particular, named Benedict, however broadly goes by the name Star, has out of nowhere reappeared to force a day to day duty of 500 naira on them.

One of the fighting merchants, Chinenye Anumudu, who related their difficulty, expressed that early last year, “during the past government, this person, with the utilization of power, helped by his gangsters, gathered every supported income, including the specified yearly charge of N18,000 from every one of the dealers, purportedly in the interest of the state government, without giving receipts of installment to any of us.”

As per him, they (the merchants) were shocked to see him again this January reporting that he has been assigned by the state government to gather an everyday duty of 500 naira from every broker on the lookout.

“We were surprised to see this man named Star announcing that the new state government has assigned him the responsibility of collecting daily revenue of five hundred naira from us just about two weeks after the market resumed for this year’s business.

“The fact of the matter is that, in addition to the annual fee of 18,000 naira, which we have agreed to pay through the bank, Governor Alex Otti did not inform us of any daily toll.

“Thus, we are approaching the state government to converse with us concerning this; inability to do that could be a recipe for an extended emergency on the lookout.

“As of now, we are content with what the Governor is doing and it is our obligation to help him by making good on our expenses,” he said.

Another broker, who just presented herself as Ada Zion, criticized the barbaric treatment and fierce methodology being distributed to them by the purported income authorities.

As indicated by her, she consumes a little space close to her sibling’s shop to sell a few insignificant merchandise, yet consistently, Star and his posse had prevented her a quiet feel from getting business.

“Each day, Star and his pack would come to request I pay them 500 naira and when I reject, they assault me by annihilating my products.

“It is similar circumstance with other negligible brokers in the T Line Zone of the market.

“For those of us who sell perishable goods, the goods perish before the owners go to collect them, and in some cases, they confiscate our goods.

“Regardless of whether the public authority endorses that we pay a day to day cost, it is absolutely impossible that frivolous merchants like us would have the option to pay 500 naira on the grounds that a large portion of us don’t make up to that sum as benefits consistently.”

In the interim, one of the brokers who basically presented himself as Aboy, affirmed that their shops were burgled and merchandise worth great many naira trucked away by hooligans accepted to be working for the income specialists.

He said that he challenged Star and his boys, telling them that the daily levy was illegal and that he would not pay it, following the announcement of the five hundred naira levy last week.

As indicated by him, he came to the market on Monday just to find that his shop had been burgled.

“I came to the market on Monday just to find that my shop has been burgled.

“They removed my table and trucked away my merchandise which incorporate three sacks of crawfish.

“So I went to the Main Security official of the market to inquire as to whether he knew about the burglary assault, however he replied in the negative.

“However, he asked me to report to the chairperson of my zone, which I have already done, but I haven’t received any positive results up to this point.”

The merchants pleaded with Governor Alex Otti to investigate the alleged illegal revenue collectors’ activities, fearing that it would derail his efforts to redeem Abia.