Police nab two over revenue fraud in Gombe
Chima Azubuike
The Gombe State Police command on Friday paraded Habu Kabir, and Iliya Amos, for alleged impersonation of Internal Revenue Service.
Kabir and Amos were alleged to have impersonated the service and defrauded intending pilgrims for tax clearance, they were caught with fake receipts and stamp.
Parading the suspects, the Public Relations Officer ASP Mahid Abubakar, disclosed that the suspects prior to their arrest had defrauded victims about N30,000, adding that “both suspects have confessed to the alleged offence voluntarily and will be charged to court for prosecution upon the conclusion of the investigation.”
Explaining further on the efforts of the command in curbing criminal conspiracy, personation, forgery and cheating noted that the case was reported at Gombe Divisional Police Headquarters by a staff of Gombe State Internal Revenue Service on behalf of the Agency.
He added, “On the 20th May 2023, one Habu Muhammad Kabir went to Hajj Orientation camp at Government Arabic Teachers College Gombe and presented himself to the staff and intending pilgrims as staff of the internal service deployed to collect revenue from intending pilgrims.
“Upon receipt of the complaint detectives from the Gombe Division swung into action and succeeded in arresting the suspect, during interrogation the Suspect Habu Muhammad Kabir, confessed to have forged the agencies ID Card, receipt and stamp and collected the sum of N30,000 from two persons, 15,000 each for registration, the suspect conspired with one Iliya Amos, to produce a fake receipt for him after providing him with a copy of the original receipt.
“Exhibits recovered include; two Laptops black in colour, one white HP Printer, one stamp and its pad, one forged ID card bearing the photograph of Habu Muhammad Kabir but the name of Mustapha Muhammad Bello, some pieces of the forged receipt and the sum of N30,000 naira.”
Lamenting the alarming rate of counterfeiters, Executive Director of the Revenue Service in charge of standard and compliance, Nuhu Bulus, described the acts as dangerous trend.
He noted that following the dwindling Federal Allocation, states’ were making attempt to increase revenue to deliver dividends of democracy, adding that such leakages are worrisome.
“It is a serious and dangerous trend. We as officials of the service are doing everything possible to boost Gombe State revenue, to augment statutory revenue that comes from federation account but we have been encountering alot of challenges,” Bulus said.
