Sand Miners, Tipper Drivers Petition FG Over Alleged Harassment, Multiple Taxation In Anambra
Sunny David Onitsha
When legitimate businesses feel trapped between overlapping authorities, livelihoods quickly come under threat.
Riverine sand miners and tipper drivers operating in Onitsha have petitioned the Federal Government over alleged harassment and multiple taxation by Anambra State officials, despite holding valid licences from federal regulatory agencies.
About 150 protesters on Friday converged on the Onitsha Area Office of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), accusing operatives of Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra (OCHA Brigade) and officials from Ogbaru, Oyi, Onitsha North and Onitsha South councils of daily extortion.
They carried placards insisting their operations were legal and under federal jurisdiction.
The President General of the Riverine Sand Miners Association of Nigeria, Sir Chris Mbaegbu, displayed licences from NIWA and said members already pay statutory federal fees and support dredging on the River Niger.
He alleged that the OCHA Brigade recently impounded over 20 tippers, arrested workers and seized excavators, with operators paying ₦300,000 and above to secure their release.
Another miner, Chief Uche Okafor, appealed to Governor Chukwuma Soludo to intervene, alleging that OCHA operatives scare customers, vandalise equipment and demand heavy payments.
He claimed his machine’s tyres were once punctured before seizure, costing him close to ₦1 million in repairs after fines.
The State Chairman of the Tipper Drivers Association, Chief Augustine Akigwe, said drivers pay approved levies of ₦1,500 and above per trip but are still repeatedly arrested.
He said petitions to the Governor, OCHA Brigade and Anambra State Solid Mineral Development Company have yielded no clear resolution.
Reacting, the NIWA Area Manager in Onitsha, Sir Victor Nwokeocha, described the alleged actions of state and local officials as unlawful, stressing that NIWA has exclusive regulatory authority over inland waterways under Sections 9 and 13 of its Act.
He said petitions have been sent to the Anambra State Attorney General, the House of Assembly and the NIWA headquarters, urging Governor Soludo to call the officials to order.
However, the Managing Director of the OCHA Brigade, Mr Celestine Anere, denied the allegations, insisting that sand miners and tipper drivers must register with the state and pay internally generated revenue since they operate within Anambra.
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