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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6svUWpY-OOs

Inside Ebonyi International Market Where Vegatable Sellers, Petty Traders Are Forced To Pay Heavy Tax (Photo, Video)

By Wisdom Nwedene, Abakaliki

A sad incident which many people have described as an eyesore has occurred at Ebonyi International Market which was renamed St Umahi Margaret International Market by the immediate past administration.

A video which has been circulating online and obtained by our correspondent showed people that claimed to be Ebonyi Taskforce members or operatives forcing petty traders to pay taxes amid the economic hardship in the country.

In the video, a Taskforce member was captured collecting 600 Naira from a petty trader who is selling vegetables worth 1000 Naira.

This means, the petty trader will go home with only 400 naira as his gain in order to feed her family.

Meanwhile, our correspondent, Wisdom Nwedene visited the International Market to ascertain the authenticity of the video and equally interviewed some of the traders and discovered that the sad incident is ongoing at the International Market.

Some of the traders that spoke with our correspondent on the condition of anonymity in order to avoid being victimised by the notorious taskforce operatives confirmed that the ugly incident has been ongoing for a long time.

A 65-year-old woman, Mrs Ngozi Michael said she sells cucumber but always being forced to pay taxes by the taskforce.

According to her, "What you saw in the video is just the truth. We pay from 400 naira to 600 Naira each day by people that claim to be working for the State government."

"We don't know if the government is aware of this incident but the truth is that we are suffering. Help us to tell the Ebonyi State Government to come to our rescue. The taxes are becoming a heavy burden on us".

Another woman who spoke with our correspondent said she sells Vegatables which she planted at the back of her house but still pays tax to the government.

"The truth is that these Vegatables that I am selling, I didn't buy them. I harvested them from the back of my house but because of the Economic hardship, I decided to sell part of it in order to feed my family."

"If you bring these Vegatables together, they are not up to 1500 Naira but I have 400 naira to the State Government already. This is really bad and the Governor should be made to be aware of this ugly incident", she told our correspondent.

As at the time of filing this report, our correspondent reached out to the Special Assistant on New Media to Ebonyi State Governor, Mr Leo Oketa who confirmed that he is aware of the video but will respond soon.

"Yes, I have seen the video which you sent to me on WhatsApp, I will respond soon", Mr Oketa told our correspondent on telephone phone call.


Recall that Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State in March 2024 cautioned revenue collectors against collecting taxes from vegetable sellers and other petty traders.

This warning was contained in a statement issued by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Dr. Monday Uzor, in Abakaliki then.

He stated that the governor dropped the hint during the swearing-in of members of the Revenue Appeal Commission held at centenary city, New Government House, Abakiliki.

Nwifuru described the collection of taxes from vegetable sellers as inhuman and urged them to avoid such acts.

He said there was no reason to collect tax from people selling their farm produce in the local markets.

“I want you to go for big big business owners.

“I have told the Revenue Service, I don’t want you to go to the village markets and be collecting tax from vegetable sellers, I have said it times without number.

“I don’t see reasons we should be taxing people who are selling what they got from their farms,” he advised.

Source : https://9newsng.com/inside-ebonyi-international-market-where-vegatable-sellers-petty-traders-are-forced-to-pay-heavy-taxes-photo-video/

Chei, this is really bad. Governor Nwifuru is getting it wrong totally. Why taxing the poor women. The video is really an eyesore

There's hunger in the land, this is just like collecting tax from someone who wants to sell his one plate of food do to lack considering what I'm seeing on those pictures.
Nigerian leaders always looking for revenue from the wrong person mindlessly.

Very unfortunate

Ohh!! owo mi da dey that side sha. MC why?

Kettykin, bobloco, racoon, tochi3, mrvitalis, gidgiddy, abagworo, zeuss, afonja44, afonjaconehead

We all know u don't care since it's not south west but look at your own region

If it were to b south west wailing go don full everywhere, obi n oby ezekwerubbish go don release statement

All these further solidify the claim that a typical Igbo man's house will b burning n he will b chasing rat in his neighbours house

You voted what you have now as a governor

Na wah oo

It is a LIE joor




This is Oshodi Market




Yeyeyeyeye

Na Tinubu did that as well? Oya where are those blamers food don ready come and blame Tinubu for Ebonyi tax fraud.

No biggie, only Lagos is forbidden from taxing residents and businesses because it was a former capital
Am I making sense my fellow Obidients?

Wetin MC Oluomo boys dey find for Ebonyi vegetable market.

Wonders shall never end.

Evil Agbero man

Goodnewsforlife:
Kettykin, bobloco, racoon, tochi3, mrvitalis, gidgiddy, abagworo, zeuss, afonja44, afonjaconehead

We all know u don't care since it's not south west but look at your own region

If it were to b south west wailing go don full everywhere, obi n oby ezekwerubbish go don release statement

All these further solidify the claim that a typical Igbo man's house will b burning n he will b chasing rat in his neighbours house

Stop being a bigot.......if u don't like Igbos,you can agitate for them to get Biafra so they can go as they want to.

International market my yansh

Every Governor is looking to enhance it's IGR it is well

See the old agbero

They r learning from their oga at d top. If Oga T sees Nigerians all he sees is tax; more tax ;tax strategies.
Owo mi da from west coast now to east coast

You focus on others not realizing your axis is another issue entirely.

You call others "Ebinpawa" but try to conceal your own "Agunuagun", we'll you can't hide forever.

Wicked souls. God help the cause of this state with the abject poverty killing the peasants there.

🥺

The same Nigerians that claim to believe in God are the most eviI and the most wicked. Who is then for God ?

When you're doing a video speaking a particular language it's quite awful when you know a large number of people won't comprehend.

This Governor just looks so odd. One way or the other, we Nigerians just have to brace up and protest hard even when the guns are pointed at us... What a mess of a dispensation.

Back to the days when my wife and I decided to sell OK clothes by the roadside because we saw people who do it making sales. We put our clothes on the roadside after paying 30k for 'floor rent'. We are sure going to start swimming in money in the next few weeks, so we thought. Our business didn't last up to one month, we packed up. What really happened?
Our maximum daily gain should be #2000 but we have to pay up to #2500 to agberos daily, even on the days we made sale or not. They come one after the other. First Chairman money #800. Another one come for LAWMA money like #600. Another security money like #1000. Another for owo Load. There is nothing they can't name the money. If you dare not give them any of the money, they will pack some of your clothes away. Segobe. We didn't last up to 3 weeks before we packed up. Then they will rent the floor out to the next Maga and life goes on

Goodnewsforlife:
Kettykin, bobloco, racoon, tochi3, mrvitalis, gidgiddy, abagworo, zeuss, afonja44, afonjaconehead

We all know u don't care since it's not south west but look at your own region

If it were to b south west wailing go don full everywhere, obi n oby ezekwerubbish go don release statement

All these further solidify the claim that a typical Igbo man's house will b burning n he will b chasing rat in his neighbours house

The action remains condemnable, whether in ebonyi or Anambra or the main ground,Lagos .. it all amounts to same agberoes extorting and obtaining hardworking people..
And fyi,I am not Igbo,I am Edo and we equally have the likes of kabaka and his band of riffraffs harassing and molesting hardworking people upandan in Benin city...
I live in Lagos and encounter these disgusting people everyday whenever I am off ship,so no lele...and the fact remains,there be a lot if disgusting things in this one naijiriya, among them is seeing the presidency and some federal ministries in Abuja entertaining and posing for cameras with the likes of senior agbero,MC oluomo

This is absurd in it's totality. How on earth will it get to this level. They will begin to collect tax from those small boys and girls hawking so that their family can feed. This is part of the tax reform they are hidden from the masses. I'm sure one day people from all corners of this country will rise and say enough is enough. It will surely happen.

Goodnewsforlife:
Kettykin, bobloco, racoon, tochi3, mrvitalis, gidgiddy, abagworo, zeuss, afonja44, afonjaconehead

We all know u don't care since it's not south west but look at your own region

If it were to b south west wailing go don full everywhere, obi n oby ezekwerubbish go don release statement

All these further solidify the claim that a typical Igbo man's house will b burning n he will b chasing rat in his neighbours house

You dey mind those litany of dumbass? if na their lands, no wahala. If na SW na wahala
Sycophants

And people from this state are in lagos spewing trash when they're asked to pay tax

It’s shocking how we haven’t evolved from displaying market wares on the ground