Bridge Head Market traders raise alarm over activities of syndicates

www.odogwublog.com reports that traders at the Bridge Head Market have raised the alarm that revenue syndicates has taken over the business premises and defrauded them with fake Point of Sales, POS, machine in the name of collecting stallage fees, Market tax, Development levy and Sanitation fees, ranging from eight thousand Naira to fifteen thousand Naira.

The traders have therefore, called on the Anambra State Government to flush out the alleged fake revenue agents currently defrauding them with POS machine to avert crisis, adding that they will not pay any revenue already collect from them by the syndicate if government address the situation.

The traders alleged that the Commissioner for Trade and Commerce, Mrs. Amaka Ilobi had last week disengaged all the revenue contractors collecting the revenues for the state at the Bridge Head Market, but unknown to her, a particular contractor disengaged same week, (name withheld) instead of leaving the market, asked his agents to remove their uniform and continue the collection the named revenues with their POS machine hidden in their bags.

The traders claimed that the agents of the particular contractor now parades the market with fake POS in their bags and hide in a building belonging to Amalgamated Timber Dealers Association, Bridge Head market for their nefarious activities, extorts so much money from traders.

A victim of the revenue syndicates, Mr. Ikechukwu Nwofor who claimed to have made payment for stallage fee, development levy, market tax and sanitation fee, on Tuesday and was issued with POS receipt which was later discovered to be fake, when investigation was conducted said the syndicate is still collecting fees for last year.

He urged the Anambra State Government to commence investigation into the activities of one of revenue contractors that were disengaged last week at the Bridge Head Market.

Contacted, the President General of Bridge Head Markets Association, BHMA, Chief Sunday Obinze, confirmed that revenue agents operating in the markets under his leadership have been disengaged by the government, but denied knowledge of any contractor still operating.