Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has suspended daily toll collections from petty traders operating outside lockup shops, declaring the practice illegal. The directive, announced Tuesday at a revenue harmonisation meeting in Enugu, applies immediately and indefinitely. Mbah, represented by Secretary to the State Government Prof Chidiebere Onyia, stated the move aligns with new tax laws designed to protect low-income earners. A taskforce chaired by the SSG has been established to enforce compliance, with warnings that anyone found collecting 100 or 200 naira daily tolls—whether for government or personal gain—will face prosecution. The governor urged local government chairmen, traditional rulers, market leaders and civil society to report violations. Traders in lockup shops, who pay between 30,000 and 36,000 naira annually, are unaffected.
On the same day, police arraigned Christopher Ifeanyi, 65, and Chinenye Ugwu before an Enugu North Magistrate Court on charges of conspiracy, stealing, and forgery. They are accused of stealing 700,000 naira belonging to the Enugu State Government and forging local government receipts for the registration of native doctors. The three-count charge, filed under Sections 495(a), 436, and 443(1) of the Criminal Code, relates to events on March 31, 2026, at the Enugu North Local Government Secretariat. The defendants pleaded not guilty. The case was adjourned to May 8, with Police Prosecutor Rosemary Ojobo and State Counsel Onyinye Ugwu representing the prosecution.
Peter Mbah's crackdown on petty tolls exposes how deeply informal extortion is embedded in Enugu's market system—even as the arrest of two alleged fraudsters over native doctor registrations shows how revenue loopholes are exploited. The 700,000 naira theft and forged receipts reveal vulnerabilities in local government processes that go beyond mere street-level harassment. This moment tests whether the new taskforce will dismantle the machinery of small-time graft or merely suppress its symptoms. For Enugu traders, the real change will come when compliance doesn't depend on fear of arrest but on transparent systems.
