By Izunna Okafor, Awka
The operatives of the Anambra Vigilante Group (A.V.G.) have issued a stern warning to some residents of Okpuno community in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State, threatening that they ‘will regret their lives’ on Thursday (tomorrow) if they come back for them again for August security levy.
The threat, according to the residents, came on Tuesday, barely one week after the A.V.G. operatives had been accused of peeping a naked lady, as well as torturing and extorting some residents during the same levy collection and enforcement in the same community.
Although, the Spokesperson of the A.V.G., Mr. Nweke Nweke had, since last week, debunked the peeping, torture, and extortion allegations as tissues of lies and a drama staged by some sacked officers of A.V.G. in the Community, who are looking for every possible means to dent the image of the State Vigilante Group. He also stressed that A.V.G. operatives did not collect levy or tax of any kind in the State, but only occasionally provide security to revenue collection agents (upon request) when they are going for revenue collection or tax enforcements.
However, barely one week after the said accusations, another accusation has emerged against the same A.V.G. operatives, threatening to make life regrettable for the people of the community who are still owing them security levy.
According to a resident of the community who revealed this to this reporter on the condition of anonymity, the ferocious-looking security had fixed and increased the levy without any consultations, only for them to come to his apartment and start knocking and demanding him to pay security levy, just few days after a megaphone announcement was made by a local town crier. He also noted that the monthly security levy collection was new and sudden to them; and regretted that night robbery and other crimes still thrives at night in the community.
Aside the shortness of the notice of the levy collection, the resident, who complained that he had recently been robbed two times at night in the community in less than one month, further complained that the amounts they were being levied (N1,500 for each apartment in a compound and N1,000 for each shop or shanty on the street) were too much for residents in of the community, especially those in the rural remote areas of the community.
While noting that the security operatives came to thier compound all alone with their guns, without any government revenue agent among them; the source said the men also still tortured some residents who have not paid them; after which they left the compound in anger, threatening that those who still fail to pay between then till Thursday will regret their lives when they come back for them.
According to the resident, it was the ambivalence created by the last week’s remarks of the A.V.G. spokesperson, Mr. Nweke Nweke, who said that A.V.G. operatives do not collect levy or tax or any kind, that made the residents wonder whether the A.V.G. operatives coming to their apartments for security levy are actually authentic and their action known to the State Government.
Efforts made by this reporter, Izunna Okafor, get the reactions of the Spokesperson of the A.V.G., Mr. Nweke, on the matter, proved abortive, as he did not respond to their calls or call back as at the time of this publication.
