In a significant breakthrough against fraudulent revenue collection, a revenue syndicate leader, Mr. Benedict Elias, popularly known as “Star”, has been apprehended and transferred to the Abia State Police Command.
Mr. Elias was arrested at midday on Tuesday for impersonating as the Head of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and revenue collection at Ariaria International Market. Investigations revealed that his official appointment in revenue collection had been terminated around the end of January.
However, despite this, he continued collecting revenue illegally, falsely presenting himself as the Governor’s cousin and a close ally of the Executive Chairman of the Abia State Internal Revenue Service (ABSIRS), Prof. Ogbonnaya Udochukwu.
During interrogation, authorities discovered that Mr. Elias was in possession of official documents from the Abia State Government, raising further suspicions about his activities. One of the documents found in his possession was an allegation letter against Governor Alex Chioma Otti, titled: “GOVERNOR ALEX OTTI’S ALLEGED AUTHORITARIAN POLICIES SPARK OUTRAGE AMONG ABIA STATE LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AS CHAIRMEN DECRY NEW RESTRICTIONS ON APPOINTMENTS, SALARY CAPS, AND REVENUE SEIZURE.”
While investigations continue to determine whether Mr. Elias is a genuine and registered revenue agent under the ABSIRS, traders and market executives at Ariaria International Market have confirmed his fraudulent extortion. They alleged that he boasted about having top government officials on his payroll, claiming that he “settles most state government appointees” and that “there’s nothing anybody can do to halt his activities.”
As the investigation unfolds, leaks have begun exposing the identities of certain government appointees allegedly associated with him and on his payroll. Authorities are working to uncover the full extent of the fraud and bring all culprits to justice.
The public is urged to report any unauthorized revenue collection to law enforcement agencies to prevent further exploitation.
