The officials of the state government on Monday sealed boss Fm radio, All Seasons Hotel, Havana cinema and Mini place restaurant and bar despite a court order stopping it to do so.
The business ventures are owned by a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, Myke Ikoku.
The Ikoku who spoke to journalists after the incident accused the state government of political vendetta.
The entrepreneur told journalists that there was a court order stopping the agents of the state government from invading his business premises which they violated.
He said that the government officials tore a copy of the court judgment which he showed them when they arrived.
Ikoku accused the officials of assaulting him and abducting several of his staff when they came.
The business said ” the Imo state government gave my businesses an exercise taxation. They insisted that we will pay even the period of covid -19 when businesses were shutdown. We went to court and obtain a court order.
“When they came, I showed them the court order but they tore it and destroyed my business. They shot and arrested several of my staff. This is nothing but a political vendetta by the Imo state government.”
A source who witnessed the incident decried the forceful approach the visitor deployed.
The source said “ttere is palpable fear, tension in Owerri, the state capital following invasion of Havana Cinema and Mimi’s Place premises by armed men working with the state government.
“The invasion which looked like a robbery operation had over 50 armed men in company of some staff of Imo Internal Revenue Service, IIRS gained entrance into the premises and opened fire as they shot sporadically scaring away customers and passersby and finally whisked away twenty staff working at Mimi’s Place and Havana Cinema to an unknown destination.
“The ever busy All Seasons Avenue was shut down as there was no vehicular movement due to the sporadic shootings by the armed men who besieged the premises on company of Imo State government’s agents (IIRS staffs).
“The surprising aspect of the whole scenerio was that some staff of the IIRS that wore media jackets were seen taking video and pictures of the commando-like operation, only God knows what their agendum was, an eye witness who observed the operation disclosed.”
The spokesperson for the governor, Oguwike Nachuku, said he was going to inquiry and get back to our correspondent but he had yet to do so as of the time of filing this report.
