BENIN CITY – The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) which sealed the premises of okomu oil palm company Plc last Wednesday allegedly over income tax liability has officially unsealed it with a verbal apology even as the Managing Director, Dr. Grahan Hefer is demanding a written apology.
A statement by the commutations officer of the company, Mr. Fidelis Olise made available to journalists yesterday said that the FIRS sent its Benin Office Representative, one Mr. Emmanuel to quickly unseal the two plantations sealed by Mrs. Anita Erinne, Head of Enforcement Unit.
Mrs. Erinne had in a telephone interview informed this paper that the sealing of the company was an enforcement action by the FIRS aimed at recovery of tax debt, nothing that it was a nationwide exercise duly approved by the Executive chairman of FIRS, Mr. Babatunde Fowler.

“The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has verbally expressed its regret and apologized profusely to the Managing Director (MD) of the Company, Dr. Grahan Hefer for erroneously sealing up the premises of the Okomu Oil Palm Company plc on Wednesday last week.
“The Head of their Enforcement Unit from Abuja, Mrs. Anita Erinne unilaterally sealed up the company after refusing to speak with the MD to verify with him if the company, indeed had any liability to the FIRS or not. She furthermore, allegedly refused to identify herself and to show relevant court documentation to confirm why she was sealing the premises, which is illegal.

“On discovering that the company had indeed paid its undisputed liabilities, the FIRS rushed their Benin Office representative, Mr. Emmanuel to the company to quickly unseal the two plantations sealed by Mrs. Erinne,” Olise stated.
According to him, the company had threatened to file a N5 billion suit against the FIRS for damage to its reputation, loss of income and losses to shareholders value as a result of the social media publication put online on the same day of the illegal sealing.
Olise noted that Banks, investors, and shareholders had been worried that the FIRS actions was doing irreparable harm to the company’s reputation.

“Banks, investors and shareholders have been on the phone consistently asking me what is happening. FIRS actions could do irreparable harm to shareholder value of the company, and thus the future income of more than 14, 000 Nigerian shareholders, aside from soiling its good reputation with financial institutions,” Dr. Graham Hefer, MD of the company, was quoted as saying.

Dr. Hefer therefore called for a letter of apology from the chairman of the Board of FIRS, an apology letter from Mrs. Erinne and a full retraction of the article placed by her in social media.
“I feel that this would not be out of place under the circumstance when the company’s name has been slated (harmed). I am sure that this is the least FIRS would do to acknowledge their error, failing which the company may then be forced to take legal action against the FIRS for damages arising, as a result of their actions,” Dr. Hefer further stated.

However, Olise, communications officer who said that the Benin office of FIRS was not informed of Mrs. Erinne’s unilateral actions, according to its Benin representative, Mr. Emmanuel, explained that the Managing Director, Dr. Hefer expects FIRS to do the needful by giving the media positive feed back that FIRS had made good on their error in order to lessen the negative impact of their actions on the company.
All efforts to speak with FIRS officials, Benin Office proved abortive as an official who responded to a call told this reporter that they were in a meeting.