Secret Reporters No place to hide
Secret Reporters
The level of corruption, nepotism, and monumental fraud existing in the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) under the leadership of Dr Babatunde Fowler would easily pass for the 9th wonder of the world and recorded in the World’s Guinness book of record if petitions seen by this newspaper is anything to go by.
Document available to SecretReporters revealed that perhaps determined to use his office and relationship with the Vice President to loot the Service dry, Babatunde Fowler allegedly carries out massive extortion on major construction companies and other multinational companies running into Billions of Naira in the guise of payment of tax refunds. This practice by the tax collector according to reports has left these companies in a hypocritical state as they are forced to continue to satisfy his gluttonous desire or risk not getting anymore contracts from him and his cohorts.
Sources within the Service squealed to SecretReporters that these funds gotten from his extortion spree amounting to more than N10,000,000,000 (Ten Billion Naira) was used to fund the 2019 election campaigns of the All Progressive Congress (APC) across the country especially in Lagos State.
The FIRS boss allegedly awards fictitious contracts running into Billions of Naira to companies and cronies linked to Senior members of the APC which serves as a conduit pipe through which taxpayers revenue are diverted from the FIRS and funnelled to various state chapters without raising eyebrows.
Some of these mostly non-existent companies these fictitious contracts were awarded to; Strategic Outcomes Limited, Platinum Crest Limited, Core Media Limited, Liquid Associates Limited and EBM Ventures Limited. Others include Steps Enterprises, Arcane Global Limited, Boxite Technologies Limited amongst others.
However, a check at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) website showed that about 95% of these companies were either not registered or not existing but were fraudulently used as a banner to receive fictitious contracts from the neck-deep corrupt FIRS boss.
In a petition seen by our correspondent, Babatunde Fowler who is a known frontline foot soldier of corruption allegedly carries out selective and hidden recruitments of sons, daughters of cronies and APC stalwarts as well as their nominees who pay huge amounts to buy slots into the most lucrative offices existing in the Service as it was also revealed that monetized payments for these slots are done in the open and with impunity as the practice has become a norm in the Federal Revenue Service.
Like cancer, the chronic lawbreaker Babatunde Fowler has established a well-coordinated network of corruption apostles who are charismatic in the diversion of funds as well as inflation of contracts, notable amongst them is the alleged inflation of the contract for the construction of the new Headquarters building of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
With the senior corruption apostle Babatunde Fowler sitting as the Executive Chairman, a petition to the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) made available to SecretReporters further revealed that among his anointed disciples of corruption in the FIRS are Mr. Abiodun Micheal Aina (Coordinating Director), Mr. Peter Hena (Coordinating Director), Mrs Odusanya (Director of Facility Management), Mr. Mohammed Auta (Director Finance), Mr. Victor Ekundayo (Director Human Resources) and Mr. Wale Shonekan (Director ICT) who are alleged to be proficient in the act of looting and diversion of taxpayers fund through their private pockets.
It is believed that the various petitions written to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practice Commission (ICPC) concerning this monumental fraud carried out by the FIRS boss and his cohorts have been suppressed over the years seemingly because these corrupt practices may have been carried out with presidential approval and cover.
Calls and SMS sent to him were not replied as at press time.
