The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, Intersociety, has asked Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo to investigate alleged unlawful revenue collections in Onitsha South Local Government Area (LGA) and recover funds it claimed were diverted from public coffers.
In a petition to the governor, the group alleged that about N1 billion was generated outside approved revenue procedures in the local government between March and September 2026.
Intersociety said the alleged collections involved cash payments and what it described as unauthorised taxes and levies imposed on residents.
The organisation’s head, Emeka Umeagbalasi, and human rights lawyers Chidinma Udegbulam and Joy Igboeli, who signed the petition, urged the state government to enforce existing laws governing revenue collection and ensure that all government revenues were properly accounted for.
“Estimated N1 billion is found to have been generated outside the law, including payments made in cash, in contradiction of official financial management regulations,” the group alleged.
It also called for a comprehensive audit of the finances of Onitsha South Local Government, particularly transactions carried out in the past eight months, to establish how revenues were collected and spent.
According to the group, the alleged N1 billion was generated during the tenure of the immediate past administration of the council, which it said left office on October 3, three days after its petition was delivered.
Intersociety urged Soludo to sanitise the state’s revenue collection system, stop what it described as extortionist revenue practices and ensure that unlawfully collected funds were recovered and returned to the appropriate government coffers.
The group also called on the governor to publish annual financial reports on taxes and levies collected in the state to strengthen transparency and accountability.
It urged the administration to comply with the Anambra State Fiscal Responsibility Law and relevant federal fiscal regulations.
Intersociety further called on Soludo to ensure that revenue collection did not become a source of abuse of public office, while urging the administration to remain focused on infrastructure and social development across the state.
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