Enugu Governor Mbah Abolishes Unlawful Market Tolls, Police Arraign Suspects For Income Fraud
Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah has made good his threat to wield the massive stick on unlawful income collectors and extortionists making life tough for Enugu residents.
Whereas Mbah, on Tuesday, introduced a right away and indefinite suspension of day by day toll assortment from those that haven’t any lockup outlets, declaring it as unlawful, the Enugu State Police Command on the identical day arraigned two earlier than an Enugu Justice of the Peace Court docket for stealing and forgery of receipts and unlawful income assortment for the registration of native docs within the state.
Governor Mbah gave the order on the suspension of day by day income assortment from petty merchants at a stakeholders’ assembly on the clarification and harmonisation of income assortment in markets throughout the state organised by the Enugu State Inside Income Service on the Outdated Authorities Lodge, Enugu.
Represented by the Secretary to the State Authorities, SSG, Prof. ChidiebereOnyia, the governor mentioned the motion was consistent with the brand new tax legal guidelines meant to assist the poor, including {that a} taskforce chaired by the SSG had been put in place to make sure most compliance, vowing that anybody caught amassing the 100 or 200 Naira day by day toll income, both for the federal government or a person, would face the total weight of the regulation.
Mbah additional charged the native authorities chairmen, conventional rulers, market leaders, the Presidents-Basic, and civil society organisations, and the general public to report back to the taskforce group any violation of the directive.
Whereas stating the order didn’t have an effect on merchants within the lockup outlets, who pay 30,000 or 36,000 Naira yearly, he emphasised that the administration’s aversion to any actions that escalates the individuals’s sufferings.
In the meantime, the police have arraigned Mr. Christopher Ifeanyi, aged 65, and Chinenye Ugwu, a feminine, earlier than an Enugu North Justice of the Peace Court docket over the registration of native docs with solid receipts of Enugu North Native Authorities Space of Enugu State, presenting the identical as real with a purpose to defraud inspecting members of the general public.
The three-count cost sheet marked MEN/153C/2026, learn, “That you simply Christopher Ifeanyi ‘m’, Ugwu Chinenye ‘f’ and others now at giant on the thirty first day of March, 2026 at Enugu North Native Authorities Secretariat, Enugu, throughout the jurisdiction of this honourable courtroom did conspire amongst yourselves to commit felony to wit: Stealing, Forgery and thereby dedicated an offence punishable beneath Part 495(a) of the Prison Code, Cap 30, Vol. II, Revised Legal guidelines of Enugu State of Nigeria 2004.
“That you simply and others now at giant on the identical date, time and place within the aforementioned Magisterial District did steal the whole sum of Seven Hundred Thousand Naira (N700,000.00), property of Enugu State Authorities.
“That you simply did forge Enugu North Native Authorities Receipts for registration of native docs with intent that it could be used or acted upon as real, understanding similar to be false and thereby dedicated an offence opposite to Part 436 and punishable beneath Part 443(1) of the Prison Code, Cap 30, Vol. II, Revised Legal guidelines of Enugu State of Nigeria 2004.”
The defendants, nonetheless, pleaded not responsible to the fees after which His Worship, O.S Chukwuani, adjourned the matter to Might 8.
The Police Prosecutor was Rosemary Ojobo, whereas State Counsel, OnyinyeUgwu, held a watching temporary for the Division of Public Prosecution, DPP.
Times Nigeria