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The Benue State government has sealed the City Bay Park, owned by Rep. Asema Achado (APC/Gwer East/Gwer West), for failing to pay the required tax.
Rep. Achado confirmed the action to journalists on Thursday in Makurdi, the state capital, explaining that the park was sealed on December 23 by government officials.
The lawmaker revealed that the tax bill amounted to N20,000, but his business was also charged N219,000 for tax default. Additionally, his microfinance bank, Benysta Microfinance Bank, was also sealed.
Achado stated that the park’s management promptly paid the N20,000 tax and the N219,000 default fee, along with an additional N20,000 unsealing fee to the Benue Internal Revenue Service (BIRS), and obtained receipts for the payments.
However, despite the payments, the park was unsealed after an hour, only to be resealed shortly afterward for reasons unknown to him.
“The sealing operation on December 23 was carried out by officials from BIRS, the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment, and law enforcement agents. They presented demand notices regarding business premises registration fees dated December 12 and 13, 2024,” Achado explained.
He pointed out that despite City Bay Park being a government property, which could exempt it from such fees, the management decided to pay the tax to avoid conflict.
Achado also criticized the government’s actions, claiming that the second sealing operation was marked by excessive force, including the use of tear gas, which caused distress among children and elderly customers at the premises.
“The sealing of these businesses was done without authorization from any competent court of law,” he stated, calling the action arbitrary and heavy-handed.
Meanwhile, the Benue Internal Revenue Service (BIRS) clarified that the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment was responsible for the exercise, with BIRS acting solely as a revenue-collecting agency.
BIRS spokesman Jacob Suswam explained that the ministry had issued the demand notices, conducted the assessment, and carried out the enforcement.