The Supervisory Councillor for Works, Lands, and Survey in Ankpa Local Government, Hon. Muhammed Ismaila Atta, has accused the founder of Ankpa Radio and Television (ART), MC Ayuba Ajebere, of faking his own kidnapping to evade accountability for an alleged illegal revenue collection scheme.
In a statement issued over the weekend, Hon. Atta dismissed claims made by Ankpa Radio earlier that day, alleging that the councillor’s aides had kidnapped Ajebere while he was en route to his village, Odagbo. The alleged incident was said to have occurred between Ojoku and Ajobe.
Reacting to the allegations, Hon. Atta refuted the reports, describing them as “entirely false and misleading.”
“MC Ajebere was neither abducted nor held against his will,” Atta stated. Instead, he accused Ajebere and his associates of operating unauthorized revenue checkpoints in the Ofano area, where they allegedly extorted N10,000 per truck.
“Who appointed Ajebere to collect revenues in Ankpa? Is he a staff member of the local government in charge of revenue collections? Who is Ajebere remitting the revenues collected so far to?” Atta queried.
The councillor further warned against the spread of unverified information, stating that such actions could create public panic and distract security agencies from genuine cases.
“We strongly condemn the spread of misinformation and urge the public to verify facts before circulating such claims further,” the statement read. “We remain committed to supporting security agencies in safeguarding lives and property.”
Efforts to reach MC Ajebere for comments were unsuccessful as of the time of this report.
Meanwhile, the controversy has raised questions about alleged unauthorized revenue activities in the region, with local authorities promising further investigations.
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