$1.5m tax liabilities: FIRS shuts Atlas Petroleum, unseals Costain W/Africa Ltd

An enforcement team of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Thursday, shut the headquarters of Atlas Petroleum International Limited over the company's tax liabilities totaling $1,519,166.44.

On arrival at the office, located at 1 Chris Madudike Drive, Lekki, Lagos, the FIRS enforcement team, led by Mrs. Ruth Mandeun, met only one employee of the company.

The employee desperately pleaded with the team to allow him get in touch with the General Manager of the company, but his pleas were rejected.

Although the General Manager arrived to similarly plead as the company's main entrance was about being sealed, his plea also met with rejection. The team leader advised that he should visit the Ikoyi office of the FIRS to resolve the matter, explaining that the company was informed on Monday that it should pay a substantial part of its tax liabilities by Wednesday or risk being shut down.

Also on Thursday, FIRS officials, led by Anita Erinne, visited companies it sealed on Wednesday. Out of the companies sealed by the team on Wednesday, only Costain West Africa, located at 174, Funsho Williams Avenue, Lagos, was unsealed at 1pm on Thursday.

The management of the company informed the FIRS team that it had paid part of the sum owed in taxes. Erinne said she was aware that the company had paid and ordered its gates unlocked. She, however, explained that she would confirm the exact sum paid by the company.