Computer Village Traders Shut Shops, Urge LIRS to Reopen Sealed Plazas

Computer Village Traders Shut Shops, Urge LIRS to Reopen Sealed Plazas
The crisis began after the LIRS sealed several plazas during a tax enforcement exercise
Timi Famoroti accused the tax agency of reneging on an earlier agreement reached with sections of the market leadership

Traders under the Coalition of Associations in Computer Village, Ikeja (CACOVI) shut down business activities over the weekend in solidarity with colleagues affected by the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) tax enforcement, renewing calls for the immediate reopening of sealed plazas.

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Eko Hot Blog gathered that shops along Otigba Street remained closed as traders, plaza heads and association leaders gathered in a peaceful demonstration, while commercial activities across the market were largely suspended.

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The solidarity action followed a reminder letter dated July 23, 2026, in which CACOVI appealed to the LIRS to immediately reopen the affected plazas and convene an urgent stakeholders’ meeting to resolve the impasse.

According to the coalition, the crisis began after the LIRS sealed several plazas during a tax enforcement exercise, alleging that some market leaders failed to fully comply with an agreed tax payment arrangement.

The affected plazas have remained shut since last Wednesday, marking what CACOVI described as the first time in the market’s history that businesses have been closed for an entire week over a tax dispute.

CACOVI President, Timi Famoroti, accused the tax agency of reneging on an earlier agreement reached with sections of the market leadership.

He said traders had consistently complied with increasing tax obligations, which rose to ₦50,100 for many members, before the enforcement exercise.

Famoroti further alleged that the LIRS later demanded payment of three years’ tax arrears despite the earlier agreement, adding that some traders who had already fulfilled their tax obligations also had their shops sealed after entire plazas were locked.

Computer Village Traders Shut Shops, Urge LIRS to Reopen Sealed Plazas — Sealed shop

He also faulted the agency for engaging only selected market leaders instead of CACOVI, which he described as the umbrella body representing more than 50 associations and plaza heads within Computer Village.

“The information was not passed to the whole market,” he said, while stressing that the coalition supports the state’s revenue drive but believes dialogue should be restored.

CACOVI Vice President, Chinedu Mbakwe, questioned the demand for three years’ tax arrears despite existing annual payment records, arguing that sealing entire plazas over personal income tax disputes unfairly penalised compliant traders alongside alleged defaulters.

A trader, Andrew Azionu of Bush Bill Ventures, claimed the dispute escalated after LIRS officials allegedly requested sensitive personal information, including Bank Verification Numbers (BVN), National Identification Numbers (NIN) and details of traders’ children as part of a new tax assessment process.

According to him, many traders were reluctant to provide the information due to concerns about fraud and unauthorised access to their financial records. He also questioned why Computer Village appeared to be facing stricter tax enforcement than other markets in Lagos.

In its letter to the Director of the Informal Sector Department of the LIRS, CACOVI said the closure had disrupted the livelihoods of more than 300,000 people connected to the market.

The coalition urged the tax agency to immediately and unconditionally reopen all sealed plazas and reschedule a stakeholders’ meeting that was initially planned for July 22 but did not hold.

As of the time of filing this report, the LIRS had acknowledged receipt of CACOVI’s letter but had yet to announce a new meeting date or issue an official response to the coalition’s demands.