Beware of fake tax collectors – Oyo warns residents

Oyo State Government has cautioned property owners in state to beware of fraudulent individuals and groups parading themselves as government tax collectors.
It said such persons were extorting money illegally from unsuspecting residents of the state.

It, however, assured that adequate measures were being taken to checkmate this worrisome activity saying the days of the illegal money collectors posing as tax collectors are numbered.
The state government while warning the residents to be careful of those men, said that its representatives were equipped with relevant documents and identification “to distinguish them as genuine government officials and they do not have the mandate to request or extort money from individuals or property owners.‎”
Director General of the Bureau of Physical Planning and Development Control in the state, Mr. Waheed Gbadamosi, who gave this warning on Wednesday in Ibadan, the state capital explained that “it has come to the notice of the State Government that some people are moving about parading themselves as the Government Task Force and extorting money from members of the public if they cannot provide documents requested from them”.

Gbadamosi noted that the “Government’s Task Force Team are only mandated to check for necessary documents from property owners and they do not have the right to request for money”.
He, therefore, appealed to members of the public “to beware of these fraudulent individuals, urging that they should visit the Bureau of Physical Planning and Development Control for more Information if they are in doubt of the identity and veracity of the people that visit them.”

Meanwhile, the Oyo State government has assured that it will continue to synergize with the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), noting that the agency was critical to the ongoing infrastructural development in the state.

Receiving the new sector commander of FRSC, Oyo Sector Commander, Corps Commander Cecilia Alao in his office on Wednesday, the State Head of Service, Mr. Soji Eniade explained that the ongoing infrastructural development was geared towards safety of lives and properties.
He said that the government will improve on the relationship between the commission and the state government to sustain the positive development in the state.
Eniade disclosed further that Oyo state had been playing a very important role in the area of Special Marshal Corps in which notable personalities of the state were active members, urging that the corps should intensify efforts on the area of advocacy to enlighten citizens on the rules and regulations regarding road safety.
He enjoined FRSC to re-introduce the road safety Clubs in Secondary Schools and higher Institutions in order to enhance understanding of road safety ethics.
Alao earlier hinted that the purpose of the visit was to familiarize with the state government and seek more collaboration to enlighten people on road safety.
She noted that safety on roads was a collective responsibility that required the support and efforts of all and sundry.