Suspected members of Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO) have allegedly killed an elder statesman in Ebonyi State, Geoffery Mgbada.
The deceased was on Tuesday said to have been intercepted by VIO officials along Presco-Ezza road, Abakaliki.
Mgbada, who was the Secretary of Ebonyi State Elders Council, entered into an argument with one of the officials. The official pushed him and the statesman fell with his head on the ground.
Mgbada was taken to Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki where he was confirmed dead and later kept in the hospital’s mortuary.
Governor David Umahi, in a statement on Tuesday by his spokesman, Emmanuel Uzor, called for the arrest and prosecution of the VIO officials.
“The Governor on hearing about the death of Chief Mgbada expressed great sadness and ordered the Commissioner of Police to arrest and prosecute the suspects who paraded themselves as VIO Officials.
“Let it be known that the Governor in a town-hall meeting with Ebonyians proscribed all task-force agents working under any guise using the state government as cover,” the statement said.
“In the proscription order, the Governor also dissolved all revenue and tax agents in the state at all levels with a promise to convoke another town hall meeting where a new tax and other revenue will be deliberated and agreed upon and the Governor is yet to convene this meeting before this ugly incident.
“The Governor is saddened by this careless death and wishes to dissociate the state government from the illegal activities of the VIO and other task force agents in the state and directs for immediate arrest and prosecution of such illegal tax or revenue agents.”
