By: Ibanga Isine
Nigerian security operatives, fake federal, state and local government revenue officials and gangsters extort over N5.8 billion annually from traders conveying livestock from the far North to the country’s South-south and South-east states, an investigation by this newspaper has revealed.
With a minimum of 400 truckloads of cattle leaving the North to the 11 South-south and South-east states weekly, traders pay a minimum of N300, 000 per truck in illegal levies, fees and taxes.
In a month, no fewer than 1,600 truckloads of cattle are transported to the two regions and more than 19, 200 truckloads in a year.
The Adamawa State Chairman of the Amalgamated Cattle Dealers Association of Nigeria (ACDAN), Inua Abubakar, said livestock dealers part with billions annually in the illegal fees.
“Not less than 400 trucks loaded with cattle leave the North to the South-south and the South-east every week and our members spend a minimum of N300, 000 per truck on illegal fees, levies and taxes,” Mr. Inua said.
“In a month, over 1,600 trucks convey cattle to the two zones and over 19, 200 trucks in a year.
“When you calculate how much we pay in illegal fees and levies and taxes per truck along the roads between Adamawa, Taraba, Benue and Cross River, you will understand the cost of extortion we have been shouting about.”
In an undercover report earlier published by this newspaper, it was found that a total of 154 checkpoints are mounted along the federal highways linking Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Cross River and Akwa Ibom states.
To carry out the investigation, The Next Edition correspondent had joined a truckload of cattle from Yola, the capital of Adamawa State, to Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom State.
Our correspondent saw first-hand, how armed gangs, Nigerian Police, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIA), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) used checkpoints to fleece traders.
Fake federal revenue officials and others purporting to work for Benue, Taraba and Cross River states also created barricades along the route to charge traders.
The only agencies whose operatives did not extort from the truck throughout the journey were the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS).
While the blockage of the highway violates Section 2 (2) of the Taxes and Levies Act Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (2004), the billions collected in the illegal levies and taxes are pocketed by a few persons.
Based on the Nigeria’s government budget benchmark, the N5.8 billion extorted from the livestock dealers annually and pocketed by individuals could patch a larger part of the over 900-kilometre pothole-ridden federal highway crisscrossing Adamawa, Taraba, Benue and Cross River and Akwa Ibom states.
The toils and tears of extorted traders
Mustapha Ibrahim has been selling livestock for over a decade and owes almost everything he owns to the business which he learnt serving seven years of apprenticeship with his father.
Apart from his many landed properties and cars, Mr. Ibrahim said he has lived a decent life and sent his children to one of the best private schools in his home town, Mubi in Adamawa State.
“Walahi (I swear) my brother,” he told our correspondent, “It was easy to convey either foodstuff or livestock from any part of the north to any part of the south before now.
“Our brothers in the south also brought things like fish, crayfish, palm oil and garri to the north without any problem.
“You only needed to go to the bush markets to buy what you want and load them in a truck and the next day, you were on the road to Calabar, Uyo, Port Harcourt, Onitsha or Owerri,” he recalled.
“Nobody would ask you for a kobo on the road but we normally carried extra foodstuff and change to appreciate police officers and other security officers along the road.”
But all that changed in 2015, when the security situation in the North-east and North-central took a plunge leading to heavy deployment of security operatives to the troubled areas.
Mr. Ibrahim said the business started slowing down when the security operatives deployed to the two affected zones abandoned their rules of engagement and rather extorted heavily from motorists.
Investigation by this newspaper showed the Federal Government ordered the massive deployment of security operatives along the Adamawa, Taraba, Benue and Cross River routes from 2014.
The move became necessary following the bloody campaign by Boko Haram insurgents to take over more towns after it captured swath of territories in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.
It was further meant to tackle the escalating skirmishes involving armed herdsmen and farmers along the Benue Valley.
But long after the armed crisis in the affected areas abated, livestock and foodstuff dealers and drivers said the security operatives have remained and now extort from traders and drivers fulltime.
The Adamawa State Chairman of Cattle Dealers Association of Nigeria, Inua Abubakar said over 100 foodstuff and livestock traders are currently out of business.
According to him, the high cost of doing the business, perishability of foodstuff and the death of livestock due to unnecessary delays at hundreds of checkpoints and the bad condition of the roads are major reasons for the losses incurred by his members.
“A lot of our members are now out of business because there are unable to meet the high cost of extortion on the road. Like I said before, most of those still able to buy livestock and take to the south are butchers,” he told this newspaper.
“To reduce the amount our people spent on the settlement, many now take over 70 hours to get to Akwa Ibom and Rivers and slightly less to get to Delta, Imo and Anambra states.”
(Next Edition)
