The Benue government has sealed City Bay Park, belonging to Rep. Asema Achado (APC/Gwer East/Gwer West), for non-payment of prescribed tax.

Mr Achado confirmed the sealing of the recreational park to journalists during a press briefing on Thursday in Makurdi, the state capital.

The lawmaker said the leisure park and event centre was sealed on December 23 by government officials.

He said the tax was N20,000, but the centre was also charged N219,000 for tax default, adding that his microfinance bank, Benysta Microfinance Bank, was also sealed.

Mr Achado, however, said the management of the company immediately paid the initial N20,000 and the N219,000, as well as the N20,000 unsealing fee, to the Benue Internal Revenue Service (BIRS) and obtained receipts.

The Rep member told journalists that the centre was unsealed after an hour only to be sealed back to date for unknown reasons.

“On December 23, officials from BIRS and the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment, alongside law enforcement agents, forcibly entered and sealed the premises of City Bay Park and Benysta Microfinance Bank.

“They presented demand notices dated December 12 and 13, 2024, regarding business premises registration fees.

“Despite City Bay Park’s status as a government property, which arguably exempts it from such fees, the management of the park swiftly paid N20,000 for registration and N219,000 as default charges to avoid conflict.

“These payments were made on December 23, 2024, and receipts of these payments were duly issued by BIRS, which copies are available for reference.

“Shockingly, after an additional N20,000 was demanded and paid to unseal City Bay Park, a more aggressive enforcement team arrived and resealed both premises,” he said.

He said the second operation was marked by excessive force and harassment, including the use of tear gas, which caused distress among customers, including children and the elderly.

According to him, the state government’s arbitrary and heavy-handed sealing of the business premises is executed without authorisation from any competent court of law empowered to issue such an order.

However, the Benue Internal Revenue Service (BIRS) said the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment carried out the exercise.

The service spokesman, Jacob Suswam, said BIRS was only involved in the process as a revenue-collecting agency.

“This question should be addressed to the appropriate ministry that carried out the exercise. BIRS only came into the picture as a collecting agency.

“The demand notice was served by the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment; the assessment was conducted by the ministry, and the enforcement was carried out by the ministry too,” he said.

Efforts to speak with the ministry’s commissioner, Alumo Orpin, proved abortive as he did not answer calls or reply to texts.

(NAN)