It was a morning of shock for several shop owners around Umuahia, Abia State capital on Thursday as they woke up to behold their shops sealed.
The shops were sealed by men of the Abia State Internal Revenue Service, popularly known as (BIR) for allegedly defaulting in payments of their taxes to the Abia State government.
A walk around some major streets and popular shopping areas in the State capital like Macaulay street, Ojike street, Umuwaya road, Ikot Ekpene road, Azikiwe road among others showed that the shop owners loitered in front of their shops as they could not gain entrance into their shops to do business.
Red ribbons were used to seal the affected business centres while a court ruling by a Magistrate Court (11) authorising the BIR actions were also displayed on the sealed shops, warning against re-opening of the premises without the magistrate court’s nod.
A message contained in the Court order stated that Chief Magistrate C.N. Ugoala gave the seal-up directive on Tuesday, November 9, 2021, adding that the owners of the defendants (shop owners) allegedly refused to appear in court to defend themselves for contravening Abia State revenue service laws.
But some of the affected businessmen and women accused the Abia Internal Revenue Service of allegedly procuring a court judgement against them, explaining that they did not receive any summon from the said Magistrate Court prior to the sealing of their shops.
One of them at No.1 Aba Road who simply identified himself as Enyinna insisted that ” When did we receive Court summon? Who brought it? How can they lay wicked claims against us?”
Other traders like Ijeoma Elezianya , a trader at Ojike street and Larius Obinma, who deal in provisions along Aguiyi-Ironsi shopping plaza cried out that they were sometime this year, directed by the Abia Internal Revenue office to pay outrageous amount of money in tax, which they said, they were already trying to defray, only for their shops to be sealed up.
The traders appealed to the revenue agency to unlock their shops and allow for amicably settlement of the matter.
The Acting Chairman of Abia State Internal Revenue Service, Agbara Celestine could not be reached to hear from him.
