Members of the Board, it was gathered, sealed off the premises at 5am, which created panic at the airport, as personnel of the Nigerian Air Force, were forced to take over security there.
There are conflicting accounts of what transpired. While the Chairman of ESBIRS, Chief Useni Elamah, claimed that FAAN officials locked the entrance and exit of the airport, to create the impression that same was sealed off by the board, FAAN’s Coordinating General Manager, Mr. Yakubu Dati, expressed shock that ESBIRS could take laws into their hands over a matter that could be resolved through dialogue.
Stranded passengers
Elamah’s arrest
However, Chief Elamah was, yesterday, arrested allegedly on the orders of the Inspector General of Police, Mr Muhammed Abubakar, over the Benin airport shutdown.
Governor Adams Oshiomohole has, meanwhile, condemned his (Elamah) arrest.
ESBIRS staff allegedly manhandled
On what transpired at the airport, sources close to ESBIRS claimed that while chairman of the board, Elamah, had stormed the airport with his men and forced the airport gates open for the public and in the ensuing confusion, a manager with FAAN at the airport, allegedly beat up the cameraman attached to the Revenue Board for covering the incident.
DSS, Police rescue situation
The Edo State Director of Department of State Security, DSS and the state Police Commissioner, Funso Balogun brought the situation under control, when the board members and FAAN staff were about engaging in a free for all, as angry passengers expressed bitterness over their inability to travel.
Dati speaks
Dati, reacting to the incident, said: “We learnt this morning (yesterday) that some people belonging to the Edo State Inland Revenue Services shut the Benin Airport over what our staff described as non-payment of taxes.
“This is coming to us as a rude shock, because they could have explored all lines of dialogue instead of just taking the laws into their hands. To close Benin Airport, is not good for the security and safety of the airport environment. We are appealing to passengers to bear with the situation as we are making efforts to resolve the issue.
“We are worried that despite the enabling law setting up FAAN, which exempts it from paying taxes and tenement rates, the Edo State Inland Revenue Service went ahead to close the airport. We enjoy cordial relationship with the state government, and we are saddened that this is happening. The matter will soon be resolved.”
Elamah on his part, said “It is sad that the FAAN manager is trying to give the impression that the Edo State Government sealed off the entire airport. What happened was that they are owing us N15million deductable from workers PAYE. This matter has been on. There was a time we had to resort to judicial means to get ourmoney.
“They are owing this since 2011. We had written to them on several occasions to play their part but they refused. We came here this morning (yesterday) and sealed only the administrative building of FAAN, but when we left, the manager went and locked up the two gates making it look as if the state government locked them up. They want to blackmail the state government but they have failed.”
Faulting the arrest of Elamah, Oshiomhole, described same as unfortunate that the police decided to arrest the state revenue boss even after the manager of FAAN, attacked members of the Board and beat up a camera man.
He said the state government will pursue the matter to its logical conclusion and called for the release of Elamah.
Oshiomhole reacts
Governor Oshiomhole said: “The Edo State Government did not seal up the airport, the revenue board staff went there peacefully to do their job. The authority of the revenue board went to serve a restraining order at the administrative office of FAAN. It was done in a way to ensure that it does not affect affairs of the airport knowing that the airport is a public place and as much as we want to collect taxes due to government but we don’t want to inflict pains on travellers, who are not parties to the issue of tax evasion.
“Everybody is under the law, no one is above the law. The only thing that surprised me is that the airport manager assaulted members of the revenue board. I have been a bit embarrassed that the Police Commissioner has arrested the Revenue Board chairman and I have asked him to release him he said the arrest was on the orders of the IG.
“I had thought that when laws are violated that it is those who violated the law that should be arrested by the police not those who seek to enforce the law. I do not believe that the action of the police is appropriate and I feel we all must ensure that the rule of law is followed. I believe that the revenue board acted properly by going to court to obtain a court order and to serve it in a way that it will cause no inconvenience to members of the public. I believe the matter is under control, I have spoken to the authorities in Abuja and I believe the matter will be handled amicably.”
CULLED FROM VANGUARD NEWSPAPER
No comments:
Post a Comment