FIRS accuses FCTA of rascality, demands public apology for sealing office

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has firmly denied allegations of unpaid ground rent on its Abuja properties and is calling on the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to issue a public apology for the controversial sealing of one of its offices.

On Monday, FCTA enforcement officials sealed an FIRS facility in the city as part of a sweeping campaign targeting defaulting property owners, alleging the agency had failed to settle ground rent obligations.

However, speaking at a press conference on Monday, Dare Adekanmbi, Special Adviser on Media to the FIRS Chairman, rejected the claims outright, branding the FCTA’s actions as “rascality.”

“Why did they go to only two offices to say that we are owing ground rate on those two?” Adekanmbi queried. “Are you saying that we paid ground rate on others and we did not pay on those two offices? It is not possible. All our offices in Abuja listed in this letter, we paid ground rate.”

Read also: FCTA seals FIRS office, Access Bank branch, Total fuel station over ground rent debt

Adekanmbi further clarified that the FIRS had already paid a total of ₦2,364,326 as ground rent for the specific property in question. “We don’t know why they refused to accommodate the money that was paid, why they refused to issue receipts for the money,” he said. “And they also went ahead to carry out this rascality, as my colleague said. Because this is what they have done. They have only invaded our premises for no just cause.”

The media adviser emphasized that the FIRS has always been a law-abiding government entity and insisted the FCTA must provide an explanation and issue a formal apology for what he termed an unjustified action.

“We are demanding an apology from FCT officials who came to carry out this rascality. And they must explain to Nigerians why they chose that option. Because this is a government agency—a government agency that is law-abiding, that is carrying out the mandates of the President.”

Highlighting the vital role the FIRS plays in the nation’s finances, Adekanmbi noted: “Sixty-five percent of the money that was shared at FAC in 2024, from January to December, was from tax revenue collected by FIRS.”

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