In a renewed effort to rid the state of illegal revenue collectors posing as economic saboteurs, the Office of the Governor on Monitoring and Compliance, in collaboration with the State Internal Revenue Service (IIRS), has recorded a major breakthrough by apprehending several illegal revenue operators within key locations across the state.
Acting on credible intelligence, operatives of the unit carried out a coordinated operation that led to the arrest of suspects along Aba-Owerri Road, Airport Junction, and at the border axis between Aba and Imo State.
According to the SA to the Governor on Monitoring and Compliance, Nze Chinasa Nwaneri, the suspects were found collecting cash revenue, forging receipts, and had even gone further to create a fraudulent IIRS app, enabling a scam barcode to be issued to unsuspecting motorists and traders under the guise of collecting levies and revenue.
He said that the action taken by his office and that of the IIRS is part of the state government’s broader commitment to sanitize the revenue system, curb economic sabotage, and rid the state of fake agents who continue to undermine Governor Hope Uzodinma’s transparent fiscal reforms.
The culprits, according to him, have been handed over to the police for further investigations and prosecution.
Nze Nwaneri pointed out that the state government is reiterating its stand on zero tolerance for unauthorized revenue collection and warns that anyone found engaging in such practices will be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the laws of the state.
He used the moment to urge residents and business owners to report suspicious revenue activities to the designated government hotlines, maintaining that the state government is operating a Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy, which enables direct payment of revenue to the state coffers.
“The fight continues for a safer, more accountable, and economically vibrant Imo State,” he said.
