Former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan
and her hotel


Controversy has trailed the clash that broke out
between a team of Federal Inland Revenue
Service and the management of Aridolf Resort
Wellness and Spa, believed to be owned by the
wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan ,
Patience, on Wednesday.

The resort is located in the Okaka community of
Yenagoa .

While the FIRS ’ enforcement team claimed it was
attacked by suspected militants lodging in the
hotel , the Aridolf management said the FIRS team
was confronted by hotel customers who were
annoyed by the manner the team was carrying out
its operations .

It was learnt that the FIRS team, led by Mr
Chinazor Edeh , had arrived at the hotel with a
warrant signed by the Chairman , FIRS , Mr
Babatunde Fowler, to seal off the facility for an
alleged non- remittance of Value Added Tax to the
tune of over N 10m , covering a period of 2014
and 2016 .

It was gathered that when the team arrived at the
hotel , Edeh read the content of the warrant to
the facility’ s officials even as he informed lodgers
and customers about the intention to seal the
facility.

An eyewitness , who accompanied the FIRS team to
the operation, said, “ Some militants in the hotel
took over the whole place . They threatened to
shoot every member of the FIRS team, claiming
that the enforcement was illegal .

“‘When one of the directors of the hotel , Mr .
Victor Oba , arrived at the scene , Edeh also
briefed him of the action .

“ Oba told the team that the hotel owes only
three - months VAT and that the employees of the
hotel have not been paid for a number of months
because of payment errors . ”

Giving further insight into the matter , the source
said that when the FIRS team got to the hotel and
demanded to see any senior official , the
receptionist claimed that no senior official was
around.

He said , “ The receptionist insisted that no senior
person was there and that she was the only one
in the hotel . The next thing the lady did was to
run away. After some minutes, the team leader
went to the gym and asked people there to leave
the place . When they came out, he locked the
place and placed a seal indicating that the place
was sealed off .

“ By the time we came to the reception, we never
knew that the receptionist had alerted people .
The team wanted to go inside to ascertain if
people were there . What happened next was a
group of youths came. One of them met the team
leader to enquire what the matter was . ”

But Oba , a younger brother to Patience , faulted
the claim of the FIRS team, saying there was no
attack on the FIRS team.

Oba, who said Aridolf did not habour militants ,
claimed that it was the FIRS team that came and
attacked the guests and lodgers of the hotel .
He stated, “ There was no attack on FIRS team.
Rather, it was the team that came and attacked
our customers. I was out of the hotel . I got a call
that people were there to shut down the hotel .
They held our receptionist hostage , went into the
gym, used armed men to push people out of the
gym, locked up the gym, went into the hotel and
started knocking at doors that guests should come
out. Some were in the bathrooms . ”

Commenting, the police commissioner, Amba ,
dismissed the allegations that the FIRS team was
attacked by militants .

He said, “ Thank God I was there personally , so,
you are hearing from the horse ’ s mouth . It was a
little breach of communication and procedures.

“ The FIRS team came in to recover what they
called VAT payment and when they came, the
management staff were not around but some
sympathisers and those that believed there was a
political colouration to the FIRS visitation blocked
the road . ”

Meanwhile, the Federal Inland Revenue Service on
Thursday sealed the headquarters of Alliance and
General Insurance Company in Lagos, as well as
Delta Transport Service and Grand Hotels in
Asaba , Delta State .

Alliance and General Insurance , which has its
headquarters on Abibu Oki Street, Lagos, was
sealed by the FIRS enforcement team over its
Company Income Tax debt of N 2, 413, 055 , 386. 69.

The team also shut MYD Telecoms Company
Limited in Onikan, Lagos, which allegedly owed
N 26, 247 , 856. 50; as well as Brick and Cable
Limited , Lagos Island, for allegedly having Value
Added Tax and Company Income Tax liabilities of
N 155 ,460 , 310. 22.

In Asaba , the capital of Delta State, the FIRS
team sealed the offices of the Delta Transport
Service Limited and Grand Hotels Limited .
The leader of the enforcement team, Mrs . Ruth
Mandeun , said the companies ignored notices sent
to them and failed to take advantage of the one-
month window offered by the FIRS for them to
pay uo .

Delta Transport Service, according to the FIRS ,
owes N 243, 146 ,108 , while Grand Hotels has
liabilities of N 14, 402 ,762 . 75 .

In Owerri , Imo State, the FIRS shut Macol
Construction Company Limited over a tax debt of
N 2, 938 ,069 . 37; First Eye Resources Nigeria
Limited , which allegedly owes N 6, 844 ,099 . 46 ; and
Boko Nigeria Limited , said to be indebted to the
tune of N 250 , 000.

Source : https://naijacrooks.com/2017/05/firs-officials-patience-jonathans-hotel-workers-clash/

OP it seems you are new in the business



You need to learn how to copy and paste