The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) sealed the headquarters of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) yesterday around 1 pm, resulting in the emergency evacuation of staff under the rain.
The enforcement was carried out by police officers, who maintained security as AEDC employees vacated the premises.
The FIRS action comes in the wake of AEDC’s recent publication of a list of government agencies owing electricity bills.
Although FIRS was not listed in the recent publication, a previous list from January included FIRS as a debtor with an outstanding bill of ₦362,387,502.
When approached by Daily Trust for details on the tax violations that led to the closure, Zach Adedeji, the Special Adviser on Media to the Chairman of FIRS, suggested that the reporter seek information directly from AEDC.
Adedeji stated, “Don’t allow them to use you. Before FIRS will carry out an enforcement, it would have issued the company a notice on the tax law they violated. Let them tell you what they did. They should have a spokesperson, so contact the person.”
AEDC spokesperson Adefisayo Akinsanya did not provide a comment when reached, citing a meeting and requesting a text message, which she did not respond to.
However, an AEDC staff member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the closure was due to unpaid taxes.
The staff member mentioned that AEDC had previously communicated with FIRS about deducting the tax from the bill it owed.
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“We were surprised by their action because a meeting was held between the two organizations a few weeks back to fashion how the matter can be settled amicably.
“I believe it is a show of strength. The office will be opened for us. They just want to make a statement to us through force,” the staff member added.
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