Hon. (Princess Benedicta Attoh Storms Agenebode Market To Checkmate Illegal Ticketing And Extortions Against Market Women

The Executive Chairman of Etsako East local government area today stormed the busying Agenebode Market to personally put a stop to illegal ticketing be perpetrated by some council and state revenue collectors.

This move by the Executive Chairman was in fulfilment of her pledge yesterday to visit the market today after meeting with the Maritime Workers Union and Market Women from Idah, Kogi state in her office yesterday during which they complained bitterly against what they called multiple taxations, whereby they pay levies to council, produce, and community revenue collectors.

At the market, the Chairman, who was bestowed with a Chieftaincy title as a High Chief by the Okumagbe of Uwanno Kingdom for the good job she is doing in Etsako East local government area, was mobbed by both market men and women who saw her as a ‘Daniel Come To Judgment’ in saving them from the illegal activities of the revenue collectors.

The workaholic Executive Chairman took time at different areas of the market to explain to the traders the genuine levies they are to be paying for which they must collect receipts from the revenue collectors, advising them to refuse to pay if no official receipt is issued for the payment.

She added that Produce officials, who are agents of the State Government, are not expected to enter market to collect levies but to stay on the road and at the point of disembankment at the jetty to collect levies for which the traders must insist on being issued with official receipt.

The Executive Chairman firmly advise the traders never to pay an levy if the revenue collector was not ready to issue receipt for such payment.

High Chief Benedicta Attoh assured the cheering traders, adding, “You must not pay money to any revenue collector who is not ready to issue receipt to you.”

The Executive Chairman, who was accompanied on the visit to the market by top council management staff including the Vice Chairman, Hon. Sunday Peter and the Head of Local Government Administration, Dr Sunday Yerumoh, visited the fish, oil, gari and other sections of the market to assure the traders that henceforth they will not have to pay any money to any official outside what is official.