By Ugochukwu Alaribe

ABA—WOMEN from the Ngwa Road Market, Aba, Abia state, have protested over a levy allegedly imposed on them by the Abia Vigilante Service, AVG.

The AVG, popularly known as Bakassi Boys, had last week imposed a new N1000 levy called “Security Support levy” on the traders, forcing the traders to pay. Those who refused to comply were allegedly harassed.

Following the action of the vigilante men, women in the market took to the streets of the city to protest what they described as excess collection of tax, levies as well as intimidation by the Bakassi Boys.

The market women who marched round the city of Aba claimed that each stall in the market had already paid security levy of N2, 000 for the year, stressing that it was wrong for the Bakassi Boys to ask them to pay the levy when the matter was pending in court. The women alleged that the vigilante men do not provide security at the market.

One of the protesting women who pleaded anonymity lamented; “the rate at which we’re being harassed by the Bakassi Boys prompted us to embark on the protest.  We are being embarrassed, harassed everyday with different kinds of tax and levies. Sometimes, they beat us up and lock up our shops if we did not pay. The levies are too much.”

Another protester, said, “The Bakassi Boys came to my shop this morning and started locking up my shop over a levy we refused to pay. It’s becoming too much and we can’t continue to pay this. State government should do something about it, else the protest will continue.”

Efforts to get the reaction of the leader of vigilante services in the state was unsuccessful. However, a member of the security outfit in Aba who declined to have his name in print said the group acted in tandem with the law that established the security outfit. He added that the levy was to support the activities of the vigilante services in the state.