The Governor of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke, has directed the state Commissioner of Police to stop ongoing imposition of illegal taxes on market operators and forgery of council documents by some court-sacked Yes/No council chairmen.
In a statement by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, Adeleke said the development is inimical to sustenance of law and order at the grassroots.
Rasheed said the governor further instructed the police commissioner to invite the affected council chairmen for questioning for falsifying council documents, collecting dubious revenue through illegal documents and for imposing and collecting illegal revenue from market operators.
He said the governor, while citing various reports of such illegality especially from Boripe Local Government, said such activities not only breached clear provisions of the law but also constitute an affront on the judiciary to which the All Progressives Congress has filed an appeal over the sacking of its Yes/No chairmen.
He said Adeleke cited Boripe Local Government where the court-sacked chairman inaugurated a revenue taskforce which forged and printed out some council documents purportedly for internally generated revenue.
He said the governor noted that the same illegal taskforce officials have begun issuing the fake documents like local government Identification letters, market revenue receipts to the members of the public, directing the police commissioner to intervene before any breakdown of law and order.
The spokesperson said Adeleke further directed his Special Adviser on Security to liaise with the Police Commissioner for the implementation of the directive as he expressed shock at the brazen imposition of hardship and pains on the people through illegal revenue and tax collections.
“Is this the reason for the illegal occupation of local government secretariats? Is this all about extorting the people and imposing pains and suffering on them? This should stop forthwith.
“We alert the public to this new round of illegality on a sub judice matter. I have directed the police authorities accordingly. Forging council documents and collecting revenue illegally are punishable offences before the law. Any person caught in such an act will face the full wrath of the law,” the governor was quoted as saying in the statement.