IKENNA OBIANERI writes about the plight of South‑East residents, business owners and motorists who are being extorted by illegal revenue collectors. These collectors, known locally as “ndi agbero,” have worsened the economic conditions of the region despite interventions by security agents. Their notoriety is growing, especially in Onitsha, Anambra State, which has become the gang’s operational headquarters because the city serves as a gateway to other states and hosts the Onitsha Main Market—one of the largest markets in West Africa. The market contributes a huge percentage of revenue to the state and the entire South‑East, attracting a large number of trucks daily and, consequently, a surge in agbero activity. Both commercial transport operators and ordinary traders and pedestrians suffer, with the illegal levies disrupting the movement of goods and services and harming especially small‑scale enterprises.
The issue has been a top priority for Governor Prof. Chukwuma Soludo since he took office in March 2022, when he banned the agberos and suspended all revenue collections in the state. The ban was initially welcomed, but the hoodlums returned a few months later, more hardened and allegedly backed by powerful individuals and politicians. Our reporter found that these illegal collectors—mostly political thugs—operate alongside state‑licensed revenue agents, forcing drivers, motorists and traders to pay at least twenty different levies. Receipts cite “Park and Pay,” “Daily Motor Ticket,” “Daily Tolls Ticket,” “Morning Levy,” “Afternoon Levy,” “Evening Levy,” “Cargo Ticket,” among others. Failure to pay invites assaults; lorry and truck drivers entering the South‑East from Upper Iweka in Onitsha are often targeted, with their windshields and side mirrors smashed. Chief Chimezie Ugoh, Publicity Secretary of the Lorry Drivers Association of Nigeria (South‑East chapter), described the agbero operation in Onitsha as as old as the city itself and said it defies every solution attempted by successive administrations. He recounted that drivers who normally spend N5,000‑N7,000 on levies in other states are forced to pay N30,000‑N40,000 once they cross the Onitsha Bridge. Levies have risen sharply, with the cargo levy jumping from N5,000 to N25,000 at the end of last year, and additional “off‑loading” charges further inflating the cost of goods. Despite protests, the government’s ban has had little lasting impact, and the agberos have resumed their terror.
Upper Iweka, a strategic axis linking the Onitsha‑Owerri Road to other South‑East states, is a major concentration point for the agberos because of the high volume of containerised vehicles. The hoodlums often outnumber road users, wielding long sticks and operating with impunity. Traveller Mr Chukwudi Onu described his experience: while driving a Toyota Sienna from Lagos, he was stopped on Upper Iweka, his side mirrors broken and his windscreen threatened, and forced to pay N4,000 for items allegedly in the back seat. He urged Governor Soludo to eradicate the agberos, saying their activities destroy livelihoods. Another victim, Cosmos Okafor, recounted a “commando‑style” hijack of his shuttle bus from Abakaliki. He was taken to an office near Upper Iweka, forced to pay N35,000 for lacking an “emblem,” and only after two hours of negotiation and phone calls was the fee reduced to N20,000 plus a N1,000 gate fee. Okafor lamented that the agberos now enjoy first‑class status while ordinary residents are treated as second‑class citizens. National Youth Service Corps member Janet Ufodi also suffered, being accosted while waiting for a bus and forced to pay N2,000 for her luggage under threat of seizure.
Although several arrests have been made, the agberos usually return to their posts after a short detention, prompting protests and clashes between them, commercial vehicle operators and traders. Transport workers have occasionally withdrawn services to draw government attention, but commuters bear the brunt, forced to trek long distances. Chairman of the Anambra State Drivers Welfare Association, Mr Adindu Opara, warned that outside Onitsha agbero activity is limited to parks, but within the city motorists are molested, harassed and beaten if they refuse to pay. He described the situation as turning residents into “second‑class citizens” and called for decisive government action, noting the confusion between legitimate revenue agents and agberos.
Chief Augustine Uka, Coordinator of the Keke/Motorcycle Drivers Stakeholders Welfare (Anambra State chapter), said tricycle drivers are forced to pay between N15,000 and N25,000 monthly to the agberos. When his group protests, they are beaten, leaving many drivers in abject poverty while the agberos profit from their sweat. Uka urged the governor to establish a committee to eradicate illegal revenue collection, arguing that past administrations only scratched the surface and that the current government must muster the will to confront the powerful sponsors behind the menace.
The state government has denied allegations that it sold “revenue windows” to the agberos. Press Secretary Christian Aburime clarified that the government is working to clear the streets of agberos and reduce their activities, acknowledging that a gradual process is needed to relocate them and provide alternative livelihoods. He noted that some agberos have been arrested and sentenced, and those willing to reform are being rehabilitated. Aburime emphasized that no one has bought revenue windows; winning a bid does not constitute a purchase, and all revenue collectors must abide by government regulations.
Comments are closed for this story.