Officials of the Imo State Government on Monday sealed Boss 98.9FM Owerri, the Imo state capital.
The officials also sealed AllSeasons Hotel, Havana Cinema and Mini Place Restaurant and Bar, also sited in Owerri.
The business ventures are owned by a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, Myke Ikoku.
In an interview with newsmen, Ikoku, an evangelist accused the state government of political vendetta.
The entrepreneur disclosed that the business concerns were sealed despite a court order stopping goverent from doing so.
He further disclosed 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 man said ” The Imo state government gave my businesses an excise taxation. They insisted that we will pay even the period of COVID-19 when businesses were shut down. 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 claimed to have witnessed the incident decried the forceful approach of the state government officials.
The source said; “There 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 entry 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 AllSeasons Avenue was shut down as there was no vehicular movement due to the sporadic shootings by the armed men who besieged the premises in company of Imo State government’s agents (IIRS staffs).
“The surprising aspect of the whole scenario 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”.
When contacted, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Oguwike Nwachuku, promised to get back to our correspondent upon enquiry.
