By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja
Kogi State Internal Revenue Service (KGIRS) has issued a stern warning against illegal tax and revenue collection on highways, declaring that anyone caught engaging in the practice under Nigeria’s new tax regime will be treated as a criminal and prosecuted.
The Executive Chairman of KGIRS, Dr. Salihu Sule Enehe, gave the warning on Sunday in Lokoja while explaining the implications of the country’s new tax law, which came into effect on January 1, 2026.
Dr. Enehe said the new tax framework expressly outlaws all forms of unauthorised revenue collection on highways, describing the practice as illegal, disruptive to economic activities and inconsistent with the Federal Government’s tax reform agenda.
He stressed that individuals or groups operating illegal checkpoints or extorting motorists in the name of tax collection would be regarded as enemies of both Kogi State and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
According to him, such offenders would be treated as economic saboteurs and, once apprehended, would face prosecution in accordance with the law.
The KGIRS Chairman further disclosed that the new tax law has abolished the sale of revenue emblems as well as the collection of haulage fees on highways across the state.
He explained that all legitimate haulage charges are now restricted to designated loading and off-loading points in line with the provisions of the new tax regime and global best practices in revenue administration.
Dr. Enehe urged transport operators, business owners and members of the public to comply fully with the new directives and promptly report any cases of illegal tax collection to the appropriate authorities.
He reaffirmed the commitment of the Kogi State Government to entrenching a transparent, efficient and business-friendly tax system capable of boosting economic growth, improving ease of doing business and protecting the interests of law-abiding taxpayers.
