Benin City was thrown into shock on Thursday after soldiers arrested and flogged two illegal revenue collectors at the bustling King’s Square in the Edo State capital.
The incident, which occurred at about 11 a.m. on September 4, left residents and commuters stunned as the men—believed to be in their 40s—were caught extorting money from commercial bus drivers along the King’s Square–Sapele Road axis.
Eyewitnesses said the suspects initially pretended to be passengers waiting to board a vehicle when they sighted the armed soldiers, but their cover was swiftly blown. One of them narrowly escaped death after attempting to slip behind a Nigerian Army-branded Hilux van before being overpowered.
Angered by the attempted escape, the soldiers subjected the men to public flogging with horse whips before handing them over to the police for investigation.
A commercial bus driver, identified only as Amebor, said he raised the alarm after the collectors attacked him for refusing to yield to their extortion attempts.
The incident comes barely a month after Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, banned transport unions including the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), ANNEWAT, and Drivers on Wheel, citing gross violations of revenue collection guidelines.
The government had condemned the resurgence of illegal levies, describing such acts as “economic sabotage, social oppression, and a direct affront to law and order”. Motorists and residents were urged not to comply with any unlawful demands and to report offenders to the State Special Taskforce led by SP Michael Anetor.
With Thursday’s dramatic crackdown, observers say the message from government and security operatives is now clearer than ever: the era of extortion in Edo’s transport sector is over.