Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
Anambra State Ministry of Transport taskforce against touting has arrested 18 suspected illegal revenue collectors in Onitsha.
The suspects were arrested on spots at Upper Iweka, Owerri road, New parts and Borromeo areas of Onitsha while they were extorting money either from motorists or innocent traders with loads.
Some cash collected from their victims were recovered from the suspects.
The suspects were immediately brought to mobile court set up by the ministry to try illegal revenue offenders where some of them were granted bail at sum of N50,000 and a surety.
The State Commissioner for Transport Dr. Christian Madubuko while briefing newsmen said that the taskforce launched a week ago known as Focus Initiative Against Touting (FIAT) has yielded a result to tame the menace of criminals who gives the state bad name.
He said that the suspects were arrested with some fake receipts/tickets written his name as commissioner, saying they used his name to commit crime.
Madubuko said that most of those arrested were not from Anambra state, noting that some were from Kogi, Delta, Ebonyi, Enugu and Taraba States who came to the state to bring bad image and harrass innocent citizens.
The commissioner said that the suspects would be coming tried in the mobile court and if found guilty would jailed to serve as deterrent to others and to fish out their sponsors.