9 illegal task collectors nabbed

A joint effort by the Benue State Internal Revenue Service (BIRS) and a security Task Force has led to the arrest of nine suspected illegal tax collectors who mounted illegal checkpoints at the North Bank area of Makurdi, the state capital.

The chairman of BIRS, Emmanuel Agema, said the raid on the suspects was in furtherance of directives by Governor Hyacinth Alia to clampdown on all illegal checkpoints across the state.

Agema said yesterday that the task force team successfully dismantled the illegal checkpoint in the area and subsequently handed over the arrested suspects to the police for legal action.

Speaking, Chairman of the Task Force Team, CSP George Iorbee (rtd), said the team’s mission was to eliminate illegal checkpoints and combat extortion of motorists.

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A statement signed by the Media Assistant to the Chairman of BIRS, Jacinta Bernard, noted that after an initial arrest of three individuals, the team encountered resistance on their return, finding that the illegal checkpoints had been reestablished.

She said they (team) responded by calling in army officers, leading to the arrest of six more individuals involved in the illicit activities, bringing the number to a total of nine suspects apprehended over the alleged crime.

The statement added that commuters along the route expressed satisfaction and gratitude to the state government for the operation and also called for continuation to permanently eradicate illegal checkpoints.