Kano Revenue Agency Seals Max Air, Others Over N431m Tax Liabilities

The Kano State Board of Internal Revenue Service (KIRS) has sealed off the head office of Max Air Limited, alongside the premises of Dantata and Sawoe Construction Company and Northern Rice & Oil Milling Nigeria Ltd, over alleged tax defaults totalling more than N431million.

The enforcement team, led by the Director of Debt Management and Enforcement, Ibrahim Abdullahi, stated that the affected businesses failed to remit Pay As You Earn (PAYE) and withholding taxes despite repeated reminders and correspondences sent to them.

LEADERSHIP reports that Max Air, owned by Katsina-based businessman, Dahiru Barau Mangal, was accused of withholding over N190 million in PAYE taxes between 2012 and 2017. According to Abdullahi, KIRS obtained a court order to seal the airline’s Kano head office after numerous efforts to recover the money proved unsuccessful.

The offices of Dantata and Sawoe Construction Company, located along Zaria Road in Kano, were also sealed off for failing to remit over N241 million in PAYE and withholding tax liabilities accrued between 2021 and 2022. Similarly, the premises of Northern Rice and Oil Milling Nigeria Ltd at Gunduwawa Industrial Estate, off Hadejia Road, were shut down over tax obligations.

Addressing journalists after the exercise, Abdullahi explained that the agency’s action was backed by court orders aimed at recovering the unpaid taxes. He said the enforcement was necessary to ensure compliance and accountability.

“The agency found it necessary to take this measure to compel the companies to pay the taxes they owe, which are critical for the state’s revenue base,” Abdullahi stated. He added that the sealed premises would remain closed until all outstanding liabilities were fully paid.

He also reiterated the tax agency’s commitment to carrying out similar actions to ensure tax compliance across the state.