Kogi State Government has shut all branches of First Bank Nigeria PLC that are operating in the State.
A Kogi High Court sitting in Lokoja has ordered the action.
This took effect on Monday by Kogi State Internal Revenue Service (KGIRS), after it has been established that the bank has not been able to liquidate its outstanding tax liabilities of over N411.12 million to Kogi State Government.
Bar. Saidu Okino, Director, Legal Services of the KGIRS, while addressing newsmen on the development in his office, revealed that the money is a representation of outstanding withholding tax from the bank’s mobile banking agents from 2015 to 2022.
He said that the action of the board came following the inability of the bank to liquidate the liability despite several notices of demand to that effect.
Okino said that the board resolved to drag the matter to court after all other measures to make the bank pay up failed.
He said: ”Before we went to court, there was a Demand Notice to that effect dated 12th day of October, 2021, and signed by the then acting chairman, Abubakar Yusuf.
“We made several attempts. We sent them a notice of the intention of the service to take warrant of distrain so that we can do whatever is needful, on 25th day of February, 2022, but we were ignored.
“On the 25th of August, 2022, Notice of Refusal to amend their liability was served on them. We did not on our own roll out our machineries to go and seal.”
Efforts by this reporter to gather comment from the bank officials proved abortive as they were not available during a visit at the offices of the bank at the Post office and Ganaja junction, Lokoja.
Some of the customers of the bank expressed dissatisfaction over the development, as they could not do any transaction with the bank beyond withdrawal of money via ATM.
They revealed that the two parties need to resolve the matter amicably for quick resumption of business.
