In a legal battle that has
captured the attention of the public, the Lagos State government has taken
popular interior designer and social media celebrity, Ehizogie Ogbebor, to the
Lagos State High Court in Tafawa Balewa Square. The charges brought against her
involve an alleged failure to file her tax returns, resulting in a 12-count
indictment before Justice Yetunde Adesanya.
According to the state,
Ogbebor is accused of willfully refusing to pay her personal income tax to the
Lagos State Internal Revenue Service, going against the timeframes stipulated
by the law. This failure to comply with tax obligations is said to have
persisted since 2014 up until the present day. The prosecution claims that as a
taxable individual in Nigeria, Ogbebor neglected to fulfill her tax
obligations, which directly contradicts Sections 41 and 94(1) of the Personal
Income Tax Act, Cap. P8, Laws of the Federation, 2004. Furthermore, the charges
state that these offenses contravene Sections 56(a)(b) of the Lagos State
Revenue Administration Law, No.8, 2006.
The case was presented before
Justice Yetunde Adesanya on a Monday, with the state’s prosecution counsel, Ade
Alli, leading the proceedings. Alli informed the court that the case centered
around tax matters and presented a motion for substituted service. Explaining
the motion dated May 10, 2023, Alli sought the court’s permission to effect
substituted service on the defendant.
“We seek the leave of
this court for substituted service to post the notice on the last known address
of the defendant at Plot 59, Fola Osibo Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos,”
Alli requested.
After considering the
arguments presented, Justice Adesanya granted the motion as requested, ruling
that substituted service should be carried out on the defendant. In other
words, the court allowed the notice to be posted at the specified address where
Ogbebor was last known to reside.
Following the court’s
decision, Justice Adesanya adjourned the case until October 26, setting a
future date for the trial to take place. The legal battle between the Lagos
State government and Ehizogie Ogbebor has now been set in motion, with the
upcoming trial poised to determine the outcome of the charges brought against
the popular interior designer and social media figure.
