Operatives of the Lagos Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, have arrested 10 suspected internet fraudsters.

The Spokesperson of the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, said this in a statement on Monday in Abuja.

According to Oyewale, the suspects were arrested on November 22, at Adewale Estate and Sea Side Estate in the Badore axis of Lagos State.

“Their arrest followed credible intelligence on the activities of some members of an organised cybercrime syndicate suspected to be involved in computer-related fraud.

“Items recovered from them include exotic cars, mobile devices and mobile phones.

“The suspects have all volunteered their statements,” he said.

Oyewale said they would be charged to court as soon as investigations were concluded.

A Deputy Superintendent of Corrections, Innocent Ogbu, and 15 others have been reported abducted while travelling to Enugu for a development course.

Ogbu, the unit commander of the Armed Squad at the Medium-Security Custodial Centre in Minna, Niger State, was abducted along the Lokoja-Enugu road on Saturday, November 23, 2024.

Confirming the incident, the command’s public relations officer, Rabiu Mohammed, said the unit commander was taken along with 15 other commuters who were travelling in an 18-seater commercial bus.

The incident has been reported to the police and DSS, Mohammed added.

The Kano State Internal Revenue Service (KIRS) on Monday sealed the head office of Nigerian airline, Max Air Limited and two other companies in Kano over unpaid liability taxes spanning several years.

Max Air, prominent airline company, was shut down for allegedly failing to settle taxes owed between 2012 and 2017.

The head office of Dantata and Sawoe Construction Company, located along the Kano-Zaria road, was also sealed for allegedly refusing to pay N241.2 million in Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) and withholding taxes for 2021 and 2022.

Similarly, the Northern Rice and Oil Milling Nigeria Ltd at Gunduwawa Industrial Estate was closed due to a N600,000 tax liability.

Ibrahim Abdullahi, the Director of Debt Management and Enforcement at the Kano Internal Revenue Service (KIRS), stated during a press briefing following the operation that the closures were carried out after the companies repeatedly failed to comply with notifications to settle their outstanding tax debts.

“This action was taken following a court order secured by the agency. These companies were given ample opportunity to settle their liabilities, but they refused to comply, leaving us no choice but to seal their premises,” Abdullahi said.

He stated, “We conducted an enforcement operation to ensure that all tax liabilities are paid promptly, as discrepancies in tax payments were identified by our enforcement team.

“The agency deemed it necessary to take this step to compel compliance after several correspondences failed to yield positive responses from the affected parties.

“This action is also crucial to ensure that all revenue due to the state is collected, thereby strengthening the state’s revenue base.”

Abdullahi added that similar enforcement exercises would continue to remind tax defaulters of their obligations.

He further stated that the sealed companies would remain closed until they settle their outstanding debts.