By Olu Osikoya, Abeokuta
The traders, who were taken unawares, were said to be owing government millions of Naira which necessitated the closure.
Some of the markets affected include the popular Ita Osu market in Ijebu Ode, Kuto, Lafenwa, June 12 and Omida Markets, all in Abeokuta.
It was gathered that traders from and around the markets got to their stalls and saw fierce looking law enforcement agents manning strategic areas in the market places, thereby disallowing them from performing their daily trading activities.
At the Popular Kuto Market in Abeokuta, stern looking police men were seen at about 6.00 in the morning turning back traders who had come from various locations to display their wares.
The action made some of them to display their wares on the roadside thereby preventing free flow of traffic.
Speaking to our correspondent, a Chieftain of the Market Association who pleaded for anonymity said that the halt in transactions at the market was a fall-out of a row between the market management and the Revenue Board over an alleged N10 milliion tax evasion by the market occupants and it’s management.
“The traders were left with no other option but to display their wares on the road side for transaction as security
personnel were readily on ground to enforce the directive”.
Our Correspondent gathered that the Revenue Board had on several occasions prevailed on the management of the Markets to honour its responsibilities to the government but regretted that the subtle persuasion yielded no positive result which in the long run, led to the enforcement.
It was also gathered that at on Thursday evening, the management of the market has been able to raise about six hundred thousand out of the five million Naira later agreed by the Internal revenue service staff and the Market management to be paid.
All efforts by our correspondent to get reactions from the IRS management proved abortive as calls put forward to its Director of Information was not answered.
