By Ogochukwu Isioma
In a decisive move to restore sanity and end months of harassment and illegal tolling across Edo, the State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has issued a sweeping ban on the activities of several notorious transport unions and organisations accused of unlawful revenue collection.
In a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Umar Musa Ikhilor, the state government expressed grave concern over the resurgence of “illegal revenue collection by certain unions and organizations under various guises across the State.”
The Governor condemned the disturbing trend which he described as “economic sabotage, social oppression, and a direct affront to law and order.”
Effective immediately, the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), ANNEWAT, Drivers on Wheel, and Atalakpa Recovery Concept Ltd—a private firm formerly contracted to support compliance enforcement—have been stripped of all rights to collect levies, dues, or taxes of any kind from motorists, drivers, or traders in Edo State.
“These unions are not authorized to collect any form of dues, levies, taxes, or charges from motorists, drivers, traders, or any member of the public in Edo State,” the statement noted.
The clampdown follows a wave of public complaints and credible intelligence reports indicating that these entities—once permitted under strict conditions to work with the Edo State Internal Revenue Service (EIRS)—have abandoned their mandate in favour of extortion, physical intimidation, and unregulated cash collection.
One of the groups, Atalakpa Recovery Concept Ltd, was singled out for allegedly abusing its privileged position. The statement noted that the firm “and its workers have become complicit in widespread extortion and abuse of mandate, thereby betraying the trust reposed in them by the State.”
The Governor has now ordered the indefinite suspension of all such activities across the state. “The era of using unions as fronts to harass, intimidate, or extort drivers and road users in the name of revenue collection is over,” the statement added.
To enforce the new directive, the state government has activated a Special Taskforce coordinated by SP Michael Anetor, urging members of the public to report any violations.
“All motorists, drivers, and road users are strongly advised not to pay any cash or comply with any form of illegal levy imposed by these banned entities,” the government said, providing a direct hotline—08038157126—for prompt reports.
Law enforcement has been placed on high alert, with the Edo State Commissioner of Police and other security agencies ordered to arrest and prosecute defaulters.
“The full weight of the law will be brought upon you,” the statement warned those considering a defiance of the ban.
The state government reiterated Governor Okpebholo’s administration commitment to sanitizing the state’s revenue system and protecting citizens from exploitation.
“Edo State Government, under the leadership of the people-loving Governor, His Excellency, Senator Monday Okpebholo, remains committed to sanitizing the revenue system and protecting its citizens from unlawful exploitation,” the SSG declared.
This move has been celebrated as part of Governor Okpebholo’s broader campaign to reform Edo’s transport and tax systems, uphold the rule of law, and enhance investor and citizen confidence in his administration’s zero-tolerance stance on corruption and public intimidation.
