Efforts to ensure that more corporate organisations, with branches in Osun allegedly involved in tax evasion are brought into the tax net turned dramatic and violent
on Thursday when a Special Adviser to Governor on Tax and Revenue Matters, Mr. Gbenga Akano, nearly escaped death as his team on tax monitoring was allegedly attacked by suspected armed militants, guarding a quarry plant belonging to Dangote Group.
The incident, Tribune Online reliably gathered occurred around 10.05 a.m. at the premises of the quarry plant, located in Ajebamdele community area of Ayedaade local government area of Osun State.
Akano had led the government team to the quarry plant to seal it off over N1.5 billion tax default when the suspected security guards started firing shots into the air and also seized the phone, belonging to one of the revenue officials.
Though no life was lost in the melee, Akano and his team members had to run into the bush to avoid being hit by stray bullets, as the militants shot sporadically to prevent the closure of the plant.
Following the development, the quarry had been shut indefinitely over the alleged attack on government officials.
Commenting on the attack, Akano said several letters had been written to the management of Dangote Group on the N1.5 billion tax default, adding that the attempts by the Osun State government to ensure the payment of the tax were unsuccessful.
He stated that the tax monitoring team was in the plant to effect a shutdown when some suspected militants, numbering about 30 attacked his team and started firing shots to prevent the closure of the quarry site.
Akano stated: “They are operating on our land unlawfully, although we learned the company is paying into the purse of Ogun State, while operating on Osun land. I think this is not fair and I am assuring you that there is no boundary dispute with Ogun State government on this parcel of land.”