Nasarawa revenue board shuts down Diamond Bank, FCMB over tax default

Nasarawa State Internal Revenue Service (NSIRS) yesterday shut down all branches of Diamond Bank and First City Monument Bank (FCMB) in the state for failing to allow access to their cyberspace documents for reconciliation on tax remittance.

Chairman of NSIRS, Alhaji Usman Okposhi, who confirmed the shutting down to newsmen, yesterday, in Lafia, said the exercise was necessitated after several futile efforts to get the two banks to allow the tax institution access to their cyberspace documents so as to investigate and make reconciliation on tax returns earned from customers.

Okposhi said that despite NSIRS serving all the banks in the state notice of its intent about two months ago, Diamond and FCMB banks refused to comply thereby compelling the tax institution to use legal means of shutting them down.

Okposhi revealed that the tax institution got a motion exparte order from the state High Court to shut down all the branches of the two banks in the state till they complied with the directive of NSIRS, adding,”Diamond Bank and FCMB refused to allow our technical consultant access their cyber directory to download.

“We served them demand notice, reminder and gave them warning yet we received no positive response. So today we decided to seal off all their branches across the state.”

Efforts to speak with officials at the two banks proved abortive as they declined to comments on the matter.