The Kogi State Government has declared that anyone caught engaging in illegal revenue collection across the state will be treated as a criminal and an economic saboteur, signalling a tougher enforcement posture against unauthorised levies.
The warning, issued over the weekend, underscores growing concern within the state administration that racketeering by touts and unauthorised agents is bleeding the state of critical internally generated revenue while subjecting businesses and motorists to multiple taxation.
Officials said the government would no longer tolerate the activities of individuals and syndicates who impersonate revenue officers or operate outside the framework of the state's harmonised revenue collection system. Such persons, the government warned, would face the full weight of the law.
The crackdown is expected to target major flashpoints including motor parks, markets, highways checkpoints, and other commercial hubs where unauthorised levies have long been a source of friction between traders, transporters, and the state.
Kogi State, like many subnational governments in Nigeria, has struggled to fully harness its internally generated revenue potential partly due to leakages caused by illegal collectors who divert funds that should flow into the state treasury.
The government's position aligns with broader efforts by the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service to digitise revenue collection and eliminate cash-based payments that create opportunities for pilferage and extortion.
By framing illegal revenue collection as economic sabotage, the state is elevating the offence beyond a mere administrative infraction to a serious crime with potentially severe penalties. The classification draws parallels with how federal authorities treat pipeline vandalism and other acts deemed harmful to public revenue.
Business groups and transport unions in the state have long complained about the menace of touts who mount unauthorised roadblocks and compel motorists and traders to pay spurious fees. Some estimates suggest that illegal revenue collection costs Kogi State billions of naira annually in lost legitimate revenue.
The government urged residents to report incidents of illegal revenue collection and to insist on proper identification from anyone demanding payment on behalf of the state. It also reminded the public that all legitimate state revenues are receipted and routed through approved electronic channels.
Security agencies have reportedly been directed to collaborate with revenue authorities to identify, arrest, and prosecute offenders. The state noted that the clampdown would be sustained and that no individuals, regardless of their connections, would be spared.
The development comes at a time when Nigerian states are under increasing pressure to boost internally generated revenue amid declining statutory allocations from the federation account and broader fiscal constraints.
