Tax Evasion: Customers stranded as Kogi govt. seals First Bank branches over N411m
The Kogi State Government on Monday sealed-off all First Bank Nigeria PLC branches operating in the State over failure to liquidate its outstanding tax liabilities of over N411million to the State coffers.
According to a report by kadecommunicationng, many of the bank customers were stranded due to the closure of the bank branches across the State by the State Government.
The action was on the order of a Kogi High Court sitting in Lokoja.
According to findings, the court order was effected on Monday by Kogi State Internal Revenue Service (KGIRS), following what it described as the inability of the bank to liquidate its outstanding tax liabilities of over N411.12 million to Kogi State Government.
Speaking with journalists on the development in his office, Bar. Saidu Okino, Director, Legal Services of the KGIRS, said the amount represents outstanding withholding tax from the bank’s mobile banking agents from 2015 to 2022.
He said that the action of the board was as a result of the refusal of the bank to liquidate the liability despite several demand notices to that effect.
Okino said that approaching the court was as a last resort as all other measures to make the bank pay up proved abortive.
He said: ”Before we went to court, there was a Demand Notice to that effect dated 12th day of October, 2021, and signed by the then acting chairman, Abubakar Yusuf.
“We made several attempts. We sent them a notice of the intention of the service to take warrant of distrain so that we can do whatever is needful, on 25th day of February, 2022, but we were ignored.
“On the 25th of August, 2022, Notice of Refusal to amend their liability was served on them. We did not on our own roll out our machineries to go and seal.”
Some of the customers of the bank who spoke with newsmen on the issue expressed concern that they could not transact business with the bank beyond withdrawing money via ATM.
