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Subair: LIRS Won’t Raid Accounts – Unless You’ve Lost Every Court Battle
['Ugo Onwuaso', 'Chike Onwuegbuchi', 'Ebere Melum-Nwogbo']
Nigerian CommunicationWeek
Kindly share this postLagos State Internal Revenue Service Executive Chairman Ayodele Subair Tuesday demolished online panic over alleged bank account raids, insisting the agency’s “Power of Substitution” targets only hardcore tax dodgers who have exhausted every appeal from tribunals to the Supreme Court over half a decade of disputes.
Subair, speaking on Arise TV, shredded viral fears that LIRS would swoop on residents’ savings without warning, clarifying the mechanism under Section 60 of the Nigeria Tax Administration Act 2025 kicks in solely after assessments spark objections, reconciliations, demand notices, and a gruelling courtroom odyssey through High Court, Court of Appeal, and apex rulings.
Subair likened the process to a “long timeframe, not less than five years,” where recalcitrant bigwigs who stonewall every step become fair game, with LIRS directing agents like customers or partners to divert payments straight to the taxman in lawful settlement.
Industry voices nod to the legality but plead for digital dashboards tracking disputes transparently, warning overzealous recovery could spook investors in Africa’s fintech and startup mecca already reeling from naira nosedives and grid glitches.
With LIRS poised to unleash the hammer on vetted violators, Subair’s clarion call aims to separate myth from muscle, bolstering Lagos’ IGR juggernaut that hit N815 billion last year while daring defaulters to test the full judicial gauntlet before crying foul.