Yoruba Group Alleges Tinubu Plans to Use ‘Forged’ Tax Law to Seize Nigerians’ Properties

A socio-cultural organisation, Ìgbìnmó Májékóbájé Ilé-Yorùbá, has raised alarm over what it described as an alleged plan by the Bola Tinubu administration to deploy a “forged” tax law to seize Nigerians’ properties without judicial oversight, warning of widespread hardship and heightened insecurity from 2026.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the group accused the federal government of altering a tax reform law passed by the National Assembly and forwarding a different version for gazetting. According to the organisation, the alleged move strips Nigerians of constitutional protections and empowers tax authorities to confiscate and sell properties within 14 days of an alleged tax default without a court order.

The statement was jointly signed by the union’s convener, Olusola Badero, and released through its home director, Princess Balogun.

The group described the alleged action as “anti-people” and “anti-business,” warning that it could push millions of Nigerians closer to poverty and social breakdown.

According to Ìgbìnmó Májékóbájé Ilé-Yorùbá, the controversy became public after Abdussamad Dasuki, a lawmaker from Sokoto State, reportedly revealed discrepancies between the version of the tax bill passed by lawmakers and the one later gazetted by the executive.

“If not for the courage of Abdusammad Dasuki, Nigerians would never have known that the president allegedly altered the law as passed by the National Assembly and sent a different version for printing and gazetting at the National Archives,” the group said.

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“It is a monumental international embarrassment for the president of Africa’s most populous nation to be accused of forging a law that will affect the lives, livelihoods, and properties of over 220 million people,” it added.

The organisation said lawmakers had clearly stipulated during legislative deliberations that tax authorities must obtain a court order before seizing or selling any citizen’s assets over tax liabilities. However, it alleged that this safeguard was deliberately removed in the gazetted version issued by the Tinubu administration.

“Lawmakers have publicly stated that a court order was mandatory before any asset seizure,” the statement said.

“Yet the version released by the executive allegedly goes as far as stating that courts cannot review administrative decisions of tax offices regarding asset seizures. This is dangerous, unconstitutional, and authoritarian.”

The group described the development as a direct assault on the rule of law, warning that unchecked administrative powers could lead to abuse, intimidation, and politically motivated seizures.

The Yoruba union argued that the alleged tax provisions would cripple small and medium-scale enterprises already struggling with inflation, fuel price hikes, currency devaluation, and declining purchasing power.

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“How can a government that has implemented policies making survival almost impossible now seek to seize people’s businesses and properties?” the group asked. “Does the president expect crime not to rise when citizens are pushed to the wall and stripped of their means of survival?”
It warned that arbitrary property seizures would lead to job losses, business closures, and an increase in crimes such as theft and armed robbery.

“Crime inevitably rises where there is no enabling environment for citizens to survive,” the statement said. “This is not theory; it is reality.”

The organisation also questioned the moral basis of aggressive tax collection in a country where, it said, citizens see little benefit from public revenue.

“Since this government has been collecting taxes, how many vulnerable Nigerians have benefited?” the group queried.

“Basic amenities are largely absent. Millions of children remain out of school. Hundreds of schools and hospitals are dilapidated or non-functional. Health workers and teachers are poorly paid and demoralised.”

It further criticised Nigeria’s political elite for seeking medical care abroad using public funds while ordinary citizens endure a failing healthcare system.

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“For the slightest headache, Nigerian politicians rush abroad for first-class treatment using taxpayers’ money, yet the same taxpayers are subjected to policies that push them closer to an early grave,” the group said.

The union called on Nigerians across ethnic, religious, and political lines to resist what it described as a dangerous and anti-people tax regime.

“Nigerians must stand up and resist this alleged forged tax law before it destroys lives and livelihoods,” the group said. “Silence now will amount to collective consent to oppression.”

Describing forgery as a serious criminal offence, the organisation demanded a thorough investigation into the alleged alteration of the tax legislation.

“Forgery is a grave crime in Nigeria,” Ìgbìnmó Májékóbájé Ilé-Yorùbá said. “Those involved in forging this law must be identified, arrested, and prosecuted. No one is above the law.”

While acknowledging presidential immunity, the group insisted that officials allegedly involved in the act should face immediate legal consequences.

“Immunity is not a licence for impunity,” it added. “And when President Tinubu eventually leaves office, he too must answer to the law if these allegations are proven. Justice must not be selective.”