Police hold driver whose alarm led to attack on TRA officers

Dar es Salaam. Police are holding a driver who allegedly screamed for help, claiming he was being abducted during an incident that led to injuries to employees of the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA).

The incident occurred when TRA officers attempted to stop the vehicle he was driving for a routine inspection of vehicles entering the country without paying taxes.

According to TRA, the vehicle—a BMW X6 with registration number T239 DHZ—was found to be unlisted in the TRA system. When the officers attempted to stop the vehicle, a dispute broke out, and the driver screamed for help, claiming he was being abducted.

The driver’s arrest was confirmed by Dar es Salaam Special Police Zone Commander Jumanne Muliro, who stated that the driver was in police custody, along with the vehicle.

According to TRA's Director of Services and Taxpayer Education, Richard Kayombo, the officers were not making an arrest but were attempting to inspect the vehicle after discovering that its registration number was invalid.

"The number T239 DHZ belongs to a Nissan Civilian Bus, not a BMW. The driver was not arrested but was stopped for inspection. After the violation was discovered, further actions would have followed, including involving the police due to the fake registration number and potential criminal activity or tax evasion,” Kayombo wrote.

Kayombo also clarified that the injured officers were customs officers performing their duties under the East African Community Customs Management Act, sections 149 to 153. He stated that these officers do not require court authorization to carry out their responsibilities.

Witnesses reported that the officers called the police for help, and during the ensuing argument, the driver began screaming for assistance from the public, claiming he was being abducted by unknown individuals.

"After seeing that the TRA officers had called the police and they hadn't arrived, I also called them. After a while, I went to the scene because the driver was already shouting, and people were rushing there with stones," explained one witness.

After arriving at the station and reporting the situation, the witness said they left with a customer and did not return to learn the outcome.

Another witness described how the officers, surrounded by people throwing stones and calling them kidnappers, began moving their vehicle to protect themselves.

“They didn’t get far; they hit something in front, and the windows of their vehicle were shattered. Later, the police arrived to calm the situation,” the witness said.

Earlier, Finance Minister Dr. Mwigulu Nchemba expressed his concern about the incident on his X (formerly Twitter) account, writing: “I am saddened by the attack on three TRA officers and their vehicle (STL 9923) while they were performing their legal duties to control smuggling and vehicles illegally entering the country.”

In his post, Dr. Mwigulu expressed sympathy for the injured officers and wished them a swift recovery. He condemned the incident and promised that strict actions would be taken against the perpetrators.

“Moreover, TRA will continue to perform its duties with professionalism and in accordance with the law. We call on all citizens to cooperate with the government to ensure that tax laws are properly enforced for the development of our country. Let us remember, ‘our taxes are our development,’” Dr. Mwigulu wrote.