Edo State governor, Monday Okpebholo, has suspended all revenue collections, warning that defaulters would be arrested.
Soon after the announcement, violence erupted on the streets of capital Benin City as rival gangs fought for control of daily fund collections from transporters and traders.
Armed gangs of revenue collection groups clashed at the famous Ramat Park in a chaotic bid for dominance.
The governor banned the activities of the groups in order to restore order and halt the harassment of bus and taxi drivers by enforcers known locally as “Lions and Tigers.”
However, armed men ignored the governor’s order and engaged in a violent showdown at Ramat Park, a central transport hub.
The motor park touts otherwise known as agbero returned to the bus-stops and garages around the State.
In a short video, these enforcers are seen crowding around commercial buses and insisting that the drivers pay them before they are allowed to go about their business
Video footage shows gunshots ringing out in broad daylight, sending people scampering for fear.
A resident said those in the fray were kingpins erstwhile displaced by the last regime of Governor Godwin Obaseki and they were loyalists to key APC figures such as Kabaka, Ebo Stone, No More Loss, and Osarobo.
Shopkeepers around Ramat Park quickly closed their stalls, fearing further unrest, as shotgun-wielding men openly turned a once-bustling hub into a conflict zone.
“We had hoped for better,” said one street vendor who witnessed the chaos, expressing concern about the future under Okpebholo’s leadership.
