It was like a Nollywood movie scene earlier today as officials of Ondo West local government obstructed the movement of a hearse carrying a corpse on its way to a cemetery in the town.
A Platformnews reporter who witnessed the event was able to verify that the council officials hijacked the corpse as a way of forcing the family of the dead person to pay a three thousand naira burial tax, which the present government has introduced as part of its efforts to generate funds.
The council officials reportedly rebuffed the pleas of family members of the dead person as well as those of passers-by who appealed to them to allow them continue their procession towards the interment of the deceased so as not to miss the burial programmes as planned.
It will be recalled that the Ondo West Council has introduced numerous taxes since the advent of the present interim government. Residents of the council are now required to pay money for all their social activities. For instance, whoever kills a cow must pay a tax of One thousand naira or the cow will be seized. The officials were also said to have disrupted many social events since January this year over the failure of the organizers to pay tax before holding their social event.
As of the time our reporter left the scene of the burial procession, the council officials were still adamant, insisting on collecting the Three thousand Naira “Burial Tax.”
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