The Kogi State Internal Revenue Service (KGIRS) on Tuesday sealed the
facilities of MTN, Airtel, Forte Oil and Bank of Agriculture in the
state over N470 million liabilities to the state government.
Director, Legal Services and Enforcement of the Service, Barr Jamil Isah, who led his team to seal the critical facilities of the two
telecom service providers at Mount Patti, Obajana and other places in Lokoja, disclosed that Airtel owed over N321 million while MTN could
also not meet its obligation of over N140 million to the state government.
Isah added that the operation offices of Forte Oil and Bank of Agriculture in Lokoja were also sealed for owing N5 million and N4
million, respectively.
According to him, ‘‘For quite some time, we have diligently approached the two telecom service providers; the MTN and Airtel and the other
two companies, to pay some of their tax liabilities to the state government and they refused to cooperate with us.
‘‘We then proceeded to the state High Court of Justice sitting in Lokoja, the court having looked into the case granted us an order, authorising us to seal their facilities until those obligations are discharged by the affected organisations and that was what we have done, to ensure that they pay the taxes.’’
Isah, who lamented that Airtel has refused to pay annual rent for the laying of fiber cables on the soil, pointed out that the service
provider paid their obligations in other states without delay, and vowed that the revenue service will continue to take decisive actions
in order to compel them to pay their taxes.
‘‘Some times we staggered their tax payments, we do some wavers and we reduced the tax payers’ liabilities in view of the challenges they
presented before us. All of these is to enable them pay the tax as at when due,” he noted.
