Okey Sampson, Aba
An Abia State High Court sitting in Aba has ordered the state government to enter into dialogue with traders at Ngwa Road Market (Ahia Ohu), Aba, with a view to streamlining levies payable by traders in the market.
The traders had on October 18, 2017, taken Abia State government to court and joined the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Commissioner for Solid Minerals and Environment and the Aba South Local Government Chairman over what they described as illegal levies forced on them.
Some of the levies, according to the traders, included ASEPA levy, sanitation levy, scooping levy, sweeping levy, environmental levy, clean-up levy and tax. Others included fire extinguisher levy, shade numbering levy, security levy, market development levy, Armed Forces Remembrance Day levy, Bakassi levy and infrastructure levy.
The court presided by Justice Uche Enwereji gave the ruling following the submission of counsel to the traders, Mr. Victor Agwu, that despite the fact that the matter was in court, the traders were still being forced to pay what he described as illegal levies.
He urged the court to give an order stopping the collection of any form of levy from the traders by government agents pending the determination of the case.
The defence counsel, Ogwo Uko, however, argued that since the plaintiffs approached the court to seek relief from what they described as illegal levies only, it would be wrong for the court to grant them a relief they never sought by granting a blanket order stopping the collection of any form of levy.
He prayed the court to order the traders to continue paying the levies they believe were legal.
In his ruling, Justice Enwereji ordered the parties to go and harmonise the levies payable by the traders. She equally ordered that the traders should continue to pay levies that both parties adjudge to be legal pending the determination of the case.
The matter was adjourned to June 28 for further hearing.