The Peter Mbah Market Monitoring Team launched a major enforcement operation against illegal tax collectors and extortionists allegedly operating in the markets under the guise of community levies Eke-Owo Market and Eke-Obinagu Market on Friday, May 8, 2026.
The operation, which followed credible intelligence reports from traders and stakeholders, was led by the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Market Liaison, Hon. Dr. Chinedu Mbah, alongside members of the enforcement team and security operatives.
During the raid, several suspected illegal revenue agents described as non-state actors were apprehended while allegedly extorting traders and collecting unauthorized levies from market men and women. The suspects were immediately handed over to the police for further interrogation and prosecution.
Eyewitnesses said the operation triggered celebrations across the markets as traders openly hailed Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah for what they described as his bold intervention in ending years of intimidation, multiple taxation, and unlawful extortion in markets across Enugu State.
Many of the jubilant traders reportedly described Governor Mbah as “Godsent,” praising his administration for restoring sanity and protecting small business owners from exploitative revenue agents. Some traders also expressed confidence in the governor’s leadership, declaring that there would be “no vacancy in 2027” owing to what they called visible people-oriented reforms and grassroots protection policies.
Addressing market executives and traders during the enforcement exercise, Hon. Dr. Chinedu Mbah reiterated the unwavering resolve of Governor Peter Mbah to sanitize markets across the state and permanently eradicate illegal taxation, fake ticketing, extortion, and all forms of unauthorized revenue collection.
He warned that no individual, community group, union, or non-state actor has the authority to impose levies on traders outside the officially approved revenue structure of the state government, stressing that anyone caught engaging in such illegal activities would face the full weight of the law.
The SSA further reminded market leaders that Governor Mbah had earlier abolished daily toll collections from petty traders without lockup shops as part of measures aimed at reducing hardship on ordinary citizens and supporting small-scale businesses. He noted that the state government had consistently maintained a zero-tolerance stance against illegal revenue collection and multiple taxation.
Hon. Dr. Mbah also recalled the governor’s earlier warning that any person caught collecting unauthorized taxes, whether in the name of community levies or market enforcement, would be arrested and prosecuted accordingly.
In a move aimed at strengthening direct communication with market stakeholders, the SSA reportedly shared his personal contact with market leaders and urged them to promptly report any suspicious activities, fake revenue agents, harassment, forged receipts, or extortion attempts in any market across the state for immediate government intervention.
The enforcement team reaffirmed that the ongoing market monitoring operation would continue across major markets in the state until all forms of illegal taxation and extortion are completely eliminated.
The arrested suspects have since been handed over to the police for further investigation and prosecution.
_FOUNTAINCARE MEDIA_
