The Ondo State Internal Revenue Service (ODIRS) yesterday Wednesday 10th August, 2022, sealed off 10 business outlets within Akure and Idanre for defaulting in payment of land use charge.
The business outlets includes shopping complex, filling stations, shops along high court road, Ijomu street, Araromi, St. Luke, Isikan, in Akure, a clinic at Utaja road and a sawmill at Ala road in Idanre where the officials met their absence, among other places.
Barrister Gregory Oyetan Afuwape, the Assistant Director and State counsel to Ondo State Internal Revenue service (ODIRS) noted that the enforcement was carried out based on the court’s judgment granted to ODIRS for non payment of land use charge.
“we have taken the estate of these places to court and we receive the judgment. We served the judgment and up till today, they didn’t come around even to pay the land use charge.
“The landlords are aware because every statutory notices were served on them,x he said
Afuwape noted that Odopetu M. A Falade shopping Arcade along high court road in particular has been owing the land use charge since 2017.
He advised those people that their business premises had been locked to visit the ODIRS to pay their liabilities, else, it will remain sealed according to the court judgment.
“And also, the occupants should not try to break the seal because there are task force officials from both the governor’s office and the ODIRS moving around and anyone found around the premises will be arrested and charged to court for contempt of the court.”
Mrs Comfort Omiye, a tenant of one of the business outlets who expressed her unhappiness, stated that the tenants are not the ones owing because all the charges coming from internal revenue and local government are being paid by them.
“Our landlords are the ones that are not playing their part as a responsible citizen and this led to the closure of our shops. Please, help us to beg them because they will start disturbing us to pay rents like two months before the renewal of the rent. This will really affect our businesses, we’re being stopped from working now and we are not owing”.
