The people were arrested when the state Commissioner for Trade, Commerce, Market and Wealth Creation, Dr Christian Madubuko visited the market on an inspection tour.
Addressing newsmen after the arrest, Dr Madubuko, who was accompanied by a team from the Department of State Security Services, DSS, during the operation explained how the culprits including market leaders were syphoning government funds into their personal pockets through the issuance of counterfeit receipt instead of government receipt to traders in the market.
Dr Madubuko urged people handling government funds to be mindful of their actions as state government will deal decisively with anybody caught diverting government’s fund, encouraging them to work with honesty in tandem with government policies.
The Commissioner further advised the general public to report anybody caught indulging in such activities to his office, noting that the state the government needs money for continuous development of the state.
The President General of Ogbaru Main Market, Chief Victor Nwawuzie who listed storage fee, development levy, legal tax and sanitation levy as part of fees the state government authorized him to collect from the traders with the issuance of government receipt denied the allegations.
Those arrested by men of the Department State Security Services, DSS, during the operation are now cooling off at the State Security Service Command office, Amawbia.
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