Ebonyi Governor orders arrest of ‘agbero-boys’ over illegal toll collection

Ebonyi State governor, Chief Dave Umahi has ordered the immediate arrest of members of Ebonyi Youth Assembly, allegedly involved in unauthorised collection of levies in the state quarry site, located at Umuoghara in Ezza South Local Government Area of the state.

The governor also directed that all levies collected by the youth organisation should be refunded as they were never authorised to do so.

Chief Dave Umahi, Ebonyi State Governor

He gave the order on Tuesday at a meeting with quarry operators/miners, traditional rulers and town union executives of their communities at Akanu Ibiam International Conference Centre, Abakaliki.


He lamented that the mining companies in the state were not living up to their social responsibilities and therefore directed that all levies paid by the quarry owners, be harmonised to prevent further leakages of the state Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

Umahi frowned at the mining companies operating at the buffer zone of Ezillo in Ishielu LGA for not respecting the efforts of the government in maintaining peace in the area and directed them to vacate the area without further delay.

He also noted with dismay that over 90 percent of the mining operators in the state operated without government knowledge, thereby denying government revenue that could have accrued to it from their operation.

 Credit: Newsverge.com