• EFCC Arrests Deputy Director For Tax Fraud
The Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, Mr. Babatunde Fowler, has ordered the immediate restructuring of the management of the agency with the transfer of 26 top officials in the directorate cadre to different positions in various locations across the country.

As part of the strategy to meet with the dynamics of time, the FIRS chief under the exercise introduced the State Coordinator structure in the FIRS to help widen the net to capture more registered corporate and individual tax payers towards increased revenue generation.

In a press statement released issued on Friday, the Head of Communication & Servicom Department, Wahab Gbadamosi, explained that each of the 13 State Coordinators would supervise operations in their areas of jurisdictions of posting. Two directors were moved to the headquarters in Abuja, while three are expected to coordinate affairs in the states.

He said, “Experienced deputy directors were transferred to FIRS’ Training School and centres across the country as part of the efforts of the Service to strengthen its knowledge transfer programme and expeditious development of the capacity of its workforce in the interim.”

He further explained that the State structure was part of the new FIRS Chairman’s vision of minimizing the span of control, closer focus on corporate taxpayers in all states of the federation and stronger collaboration with State Boards of Internal Revenue (SBIR), to increase overall tax yield acruable to the three tiers of government.

Gbadamosi noted that under a new campaign to widen the tax base, the FIRS registered additional 359,158 corporate taxpayers within 107 days between October 13, 2015 and January 27, 2016. He said the FIRS chairman plans to add at least 500,000 new corporate taxpayers by March 31, 2016.

He stated that in effort to widen the tax base further by an additional five million new individual taxpayers to the country-wide tax register by December 2016, the FIRS Chairman plans to work with states under the Joint Tax Board (JTB) structure.

Those affected by the latest development include the Director of FCT and North Central Region, Olufemi Faniyi, who was redeployed to the Compliance Support Group, while Director, South-South and South-East Directorate Department, Innocent Ohagwa, is now Acting State Coordinator, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and Cross River States.

Director, Lagos Mainland (East and West Directorate) Department, Gbolaga Oshiga, is now Acting State Coordinator, Ogun, Oyo and Osun States, while Director, North-West and North-East Regions Directorate Department, Mohammed Magam becomes the Acting State Coordinator, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara States. Director, Oil and Gas Department, Lagos, Olufunlola Adediran, was transferred to the Office of the Coordinating Director, Domestic Tax Group in Abuja.

Meanwhile, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has arrested a deputy director, regional tax office, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Abumere Joseph Osagie for abuse of office and bribery.

Head, Media & Publicity EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren in a statement issued on Friday said the suspect was arrested following a complaint about his attempt to extort a University proprietor N5million. Osagie and one Jamila Ojora had on January 27, allegedly approached Senator Ahmed Datti, the Chancellor of Baze University, Abuja and gave him a tax assessment of N20,029, 496.00 through a letter of intent, which he paid.

However, when he requested for the assessment certificate, they refused to oblige him. Instead they allegedly demanded for N5million gratification. All pleas by Datti fell on deaf ears. Consequently, he petitioned the EFCC, and was advised to play along, and the marked N5million was delivered to the director through Ojora in a sting operation.

Ojora was arrested after she collected the said sum, and her confession led to the arrest of Osagie. The houses of the suspects were searched by operatives of the EFCC, and documents recovered.