Shop owners in Diobu axis of Port Harcourt have decried the incessant harassment and seizure of their wares by hoodlums purported to be Port Harcourt City Council decongestion team.
The group according to traders were in the habit of carting away their goods only to ask the shop owners to come to their office to bail their goods.
A shop owner at D/Line, Port Harcourt, Mrs Juliet Igwe, who spoke to our correspondent lamented bitterly what she described as illegal impoundment of goods by touts who claimed to be government revenue agents and taskforce.
Relating her experience to our correspondent, Mrs Igwe said that she was in her shop when a group of young men alighted from a bus, walked in to her shop and occused her of sampling her goods beyond her premises.
She added that no opportunity was given to her to explain before her goods were carted away.
Another victim whose goods were impounded Mrs Ebiola Oweifa said her goods were impounded by the group without prior notice, either written or verbal.
A member of the PHCC decongestion team, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the allegations, but said that the affected shop owners contravened the law that ban them from sampling goods beyond the store, saying that any goods found outside the store is illegal and would be impounded.
He said that the store keepers affected were advised to come to Port Harcourt City Council to bail their goods and obtain the necessary permit.
Meanwhile, effort to see the mayor of Port Harcourt aborted as he was out for other official engagement at the time of this report.