A secondary school teacher, rushing her daughter to Ufor hospital for medical treatment has narrated her ordeal how the Delta State Board of Internal Revenue taskforce allegedly extorted N35,000 from her in Ughelli North Local Government Area.
The teacher, (name withheld ) attached to a secondary in Ughelli metropolis, was said to have been accosted by the task force led by Samson Igho as chairman along Isoko road by Oharisi primary school on Thursday.
According to the teacher, “I was rushing my daughter to Ufor hospital for treatment when they stopped me and demanded for my vehicle particulars and Driver’s license, i explained to them my situation but they insisted.
“I left the car with them to save the life of my daughter and before I returned from the hospital, they impounded my car and drove it to their office with my papers
“When I got to their office located at premises of VIO and DESTMA, Ughelli, opposite Obukowho Demonstration School, they told me that my offence is N35,000 and I requested for account details to make the payment, they refused that I should give them cash.
“I went to a POS, operator, withdraw the N35,000 and gave to a lady, I requested for a receipt but the lady at the office told me that they don’t issue receipt for offence committed.
“She told me that if after one week, I could not renew my vehicles particular, my car will be impounded and be made to pay same amount.
When contacted the task force chairman, Mr Samson Igho denied the allegations said, “I am on the road and my people cannot do such thing.
“This is not what we can discuss over the phone, we need to see and talk. I am in a noisy place and beside I don’t stay in Ughelli.
Contacted, an official of Revenue Board, It her right to demand for a government account since they are working as task force and she should be issued a government receipt.
“They should refund the money back to the woman since it was not paid into government purse and no receipt was issued. They are bad element that want to destroy the image of Delta State government.
“They ought to have given the offender a government account, and issue her a receipt for the offence committed after making payment.
“They are working with the police and the offender ought to have been held for traffic offence and not checking of vehicle particulars.
Efforts to contact the Delta State Board of Internal Revenue, Chairman, Hon. Solomon Ighrakpata was not successful as calls to his mobile line were not answered as at the time of this report.
