Ariaria Market traders raise alarm over multiple levies

Traders at the Ariaria International Market, Aba have raised alarm over multiple task forces operating in the market and carrying out oppressive activities against trad­ers through forceful imposition of multiple levies, writes CHIDI ASONYE, from Aba

 

The different groups of task­force which harass traders, operate under different names, such as Ikpeazu Boys, Peo­ple from Governor’s Office, Okezuo Abia Boys, Aba Urba Renewal

 

team, Abia State Market Devel­opment Committee, among others. They besiege the market on a dai­ly basis with several tickets, which traders must buy or face the risk of having their goods seized.

 

Most traders who spoke to The AUTHORITY described theM­crude approach by the various task forces as very disturbing at this time, even as they accused the dif­ferent task force teams of collecting the same levy, thus endorsing mul­tiple taxation of traders.

 

According to Michael Ikwo, a trader along A-Line of the inter­national market, the several teams invade the market daily demand­ing various forms of fees or levies to be paid to them.

 

“In less than five minutes af­ter the group has left a shop, an­other group will come, demand­ing the same levy and or fees the other group had demanded for their payment. The most annoy­ing thing is that they would always claim of coming from the office of the governor. The thing is embar­rassing. With the way they operate, they may be sending a wrong signal that the government of the day is nonchalant over the welfare of these traders”, Ikwo lamented.

 

Another trader, Mrs. Chari­ty Okafor who spoke to The AU­THORITY, disclosed that aggrieved traders had reported severally to the state government but nothing seems to be on the way to check the excesses of these men whose opera­tional method paints them as touts operating under government pro­tection.

 

Mrs. Okafor told ‘The AU­THORITY that recently a trader was almost beaten to death because he refused to pay a particular levy twice. “The team claimed that they came from the governor’s office and that their department was different from the one before them.

 

It is really worrisome that this high level

 

extortion is allowed to flour­ish in these hard times when trad­ers find it difficult to find their feet”, she said. Further, she alleged that the different taskforce groups have continued to threaten the demoli­tion of their shops if they were not settled by these traders.

 

Her words: “We are forced to part with as much as our hard earned N2, 000 daily as settlement to these taskforce people. The fees and levies we pay in this market is outrageous and we have even lost count of them. Apart from them, we have the local government au­thorities to contend with. We are not so sure that the governor has sent them to unleash terror on the hapless traders who are battling to make ends meet”.

 

On her part, a trader, Roseline Ibem decried the activities of these thug-like looking taskforce mem­bers in the face of deplorable road conditions within and around the city.

 

“There is no road here. This is why you see everybody march­ing with rain boots. We have even bought rain boots for our custom­ers to walk through the flood to purchase goods. Look at Ukwu mango bus stop, Faulks road, A - Line and others. Everywhere is flooded and we hardly make sales, yet the government doesn’t seem to care. They are interested in sending thugs to harass us daily. We are suf­fering,” she stated.

 

The Market Union Leaders seem to be hopeless and helpless in the face of the several complaints being lodged by traders on a daily basis. Most of them feared being re­lieved of their positions if they raise any objection to the extortion.

 

A source close to the state gov­ernment who however prefered to comment on condition of anonym­ity, insisted that people had been using the name of the governor to extort residents of Aba. He, how­ever, promised that action would soon be taken to stop the perpe­trators from further harassment of the traders.

 

In a sharp reaction, the state commissioner for trade and in­vestment, Mrs. Kate Nwosu told The AUTHORITY that her office was yet to receive official report from the market, regarding multi­ple levies and fees. She alleged that some groups of people somewhere were just trying to be funny with the outcry against the alleged mul­tiple taxation.