Abakaliki Rice Mill crisis: Revenue collector alleges threat to life.

Following the renewed crisis over the sales of bags used in packaging processed rice from Abakaliki Rice Mill Industry, an Internally Generated Revenue agent at the Mill industry, Comrade Nwabueze Ununu has raised the alarm over alleged threat to his life.

The new leadership of the industry recently banned individuals from selling the bags to buyers and announced that only the leadership and union will be in charge of the sales.

Some millers including Ununu allegedly kicked against it leading to the crisis. Some of the millers were allegedly injured.

Ununu who was contracted by the state government to collect revenue from millers and buyers at the mill alleged that he was attacked by thugs.

He accused new leadership of the mill of unlawfully removing him as the mill IGR collector and replacing him with unauthorized persons when according to him, he has been remitting N1.3million monthly into the state government account as specified by the contract paper.

He alleged that last weekend; over 50 thugs invaded his shops in the mill, beat him up and destroyed his goods and other valuable properties. “Policemen were the ones that rescued me, without policemen I would have been a dead person. Thugs invaded my shop, attacked me and destroyed my things. Some persons approached me and pleaded with me to bring the matter out of police for amicable resolution which I did.

“Today being Monday, thugs came to where I stay to collect IGR of which I am remitting N1.3million monthly into the government account.

I have paid for two months I have worked. So, the thugs chased away all my 15 staff and took over the collection. The thugs threatened that if I come there, they will kill m

“My life is in danger because these thugs are boasting that they will kill me. I have gone into hiding, I cannot walk freely on the streets”, he alleged.

Caretaker Committee Chairman of the Rice Mill Samuel Ogodo, dismissed attack on Ununu saying he was rather attacked by Ununu when he was going round the mill sensitizing the millers and workers about new development in the industry over the sales of rice bags which did not go down well with Ununu.