Coalition protests assault on BIRS chairman
More than 2000 members of a coalition of civil society groups came out Wednesday morning to protest alleged assault on the chairman of the Benue State Internal Revenue Service, Mimi Adazpe-Orubibi by a senior police officer. The protesters as early as 7am took over the premises of BIRS along Gboko road, chanting solidarity songs and […]
More than 2000 members of a coalition of civil society groups came out Wednesday morning to protest alleged assault on the chairman of the Benue State Internal Revenue Service, Mimi Adazpe-Orubibi by a senior police officer.
The protesters as early as 7am took over the premises of BIRS along Gboko road, chanting solidarity songs and displayed placards to express their grievances over what they termed as harassment and intimidation of the BIRS boss.
Benue police commissioner Fatai Owoseni arrived the scene around 11am.
The protesters accused the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris of taking over revenue of the state using the police X-Squad led by the accused ACP, Mr. Olu Kayode Ayilara.
"We are constrained to believe that the IGP has submitted himself and the entire NPF to be used by the powers that be to frustrate Benue government. Otherwise, why will the IGP arrest tax collectors, seal tax offices, beat and intimidate revenue agents all over the state," Solomon Semaka said in the group’s address.
The coalition therefore called on the Federal Government to implore the IGP to hands off revenue collection in the state while they urged police authority to dismiss the accused officer.
Responding, the police commissioner appealed for calm as he enjoined the public to partner with the command for peace in all part of the state.
On her part, the BIRS boss, Mimi, urged the youths not to protest as the matter was already being handled by the police hierarchy.
Daily Trust reports that Ayilara allegedly went to BIRS to demand for N10 million in the guise that he was acting the script of the IGP, a request which Orubibi was said to have turned down, causing the police senior officer to physically assault and manhandled her.