The Kaduna State Internal Revenue Service (KADIRS) took strong action on Tuesday to recover a N1.7 billion debt related to the Land Use Charge (LUC) owed by several banks and businesses operating in the state. As part of this enforcement, KADIRS sealed the premises of banks including Keystone Bank Plc, Unity Bank, FCMB, Zenith Bank, and the Bank of Agriculture (BOA), as well as Chicken Republic outlets located along Yakubu Gowon Way.

In addition to the banks, other businesses affected by the enforcement include Forte Oil, New Nigeria Development Company, the GT Bank parking lot, and A.G. Leventis building. A prominent target of the operation was Hamdala Hotel, which owed N115 million in Land Use Charges.

Aisha Ahmad, KADIRS’s Board Secretary and Legal Adviser, explained that the action was in line with the provisions of the law, specifically citing Section 24 Sub-Sections (1, 2, and 3) of the Kaduna State Tax Codification and Consolidation Law of 2020. Ahmad stated that the land revenue liabilities had been confirmed by the Kaduna State Geographic Information Service (KADGIS) and that despite multiple demand notices, these businesses failed to comply.

Ahmad emphasized that this move was necessary to recover the debt owed to the state and reassured that KADIRS would not be intimidated by any organization. She confirmed that the enforcement would last a week, and that a court order had been obtained to close and take control of the affected properties until all outstanding debts were cleared.