‘Governors Who Allow Agbero to Operate Are Incompetent’ — Soludo Faces Fresh Criticism

Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State has come under fresh criticism over the activities of touts, popularly known as agbero, and alleged illegal revenue collection across the state.

In a statement circulating online, the speaker argued that governors who allow touts to operate under the guise of revenue collection demonstrate poor governance and described such administrations as incompetent.

“Governors who allow agboro to operate in their state under guise revenue collectors are incompetent, and Soludo is at the top of the list,” the speaker said, while directing attention to footage purportedly showing alleged activities of revenue collectors.

The allegation comes against the backdrop of continuing complaints by transport operators and other residents in Anambra over alleged harassment, multiple taxation and illegal revenue collection.

In July 2026, the Anambra Keke Drivers Forum alleged that illegal revenue collectors and touts continued to operate at parks, loading points and major roads despite the establishment of the state's anti-touting agency.

The forum's chairman, Ifeanyi Okafor, alleged that tricycle operators were being forced to pay between ₦400 and ₦1,000 daily to touts in addition to official loading fees. The claims were reported by Punch and represent the operators' account of the situation.

The issue is not new in the state. In January 2026, The Guardian reported that the Special Anti-Touting Squad for Anambra State (SASA) arrested eight suspected illegal revenue collectors accused of extorting tricycle operators, shuttle drivers, hawkers and other members of the public in parts of Ogbaru and Onitsha.

The suspects were accused of collecting money without official receipts while allegedly presenting themselves as government task-force or policy-compliance officials.

The Anambra State Government has maintained that cash collection outside authorised channels is prohibited. In May 2026, the government also announced the centralisation of revenue collection under the Anambra State Internal Revenue Service and cancelled existing revenue-collection consultancies and contracts unless specifically approved by the governor.

The government has also taken enforcement action against suspected illegal collectors. In April, SASA said suspected illegal revenue collectors had been arrested and arraigned before a mobile court over alleged extortion of traders and commercial operators.

The situation has nevertheless remained a subject of public concern. In July, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria said businesses in the state had previously faced harassment and disruptions from miscreants and unauthorised actors claiming to be revenue collectors, although the association also reported an improvement after interventions by AIRS and the state government.

The latest criticism therefore focuses on whether the government's enforcement measures have been sufficient to completely eliminate illegal revenue collection and touting from the state's roads, markets and transport parks.

The claim that Soludo is “at the top of the list” of incompetent governors is an opinion expressed by the speaker and is not an independently established assessment.

The Soludo administration has, on the other hand, established anti-touting mechanisms and reported arrests of suspected illegal collectors as part of its efforts to reform revenue collection and curb extortion.