Hoodlums, posing as Benue State revenue collectors, intercepted two trucks taking palliative materials from Adamawa State to the eastern parts of the country on Monday and manhandled the drivers.
Acting Executive Chairman, Benue State Internal Revenue Service, Emmanuel Agema, made this known on Monday.
Agema said: “The hoodlums stopped the vehicles, broke their windscreens and stole N200,000 from one of the drivers at an illegal tax collection point they mounted at Gwer East Local Government Area of Benue.
“They also injured one of the drivers.”
Agema said preliminary investigation showed that some prominent Benue State citizens were behind the hoodlums mounting illegal revenue checkpoints and warned that the BIRS would not be used for political patronage as was done in the past.
He stressed also that the BIRS had terminated all revenue-collection contracts and that more than 35 illegal tax collectors had been arrested and were being prosecuted since he assumed office six months ago.
“Since I assumed duty as acting Chairman of BIRS, my biggest challenge is the activities of illegal tax collectors and so far 35 persons have been charged in court,” he said.
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He added that Governor Hyacinth Alia had directed the Department of State Services to carry out a full investigation into the issue of illegal revenue checkpoints in Benue State.
Agema said the BIRS had automated 95 percent of its tax collection duties and blocked more than 85 percent of leakages found.
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