Alex Otti has reacted to the sealing of offices belonging to Globacom in Abia State, stating that his administration will continue to respect and abide by the order of the court.

The Globacom offices in the state were sealed on Friday, February 6, 2026, following an order of the Abia State High Court over the company’s alleged failure to remit taxes amounting to over ₦4 billion to the state government over 12 years, between 2010 and 2022.

Governor Otti made the government’s position known while responding to questions during his February media chat with journalists at the Government House in Umuahia.

The court order followed a judgment delivered on January 14, 2026, by Hon. Justice Chido Nwakanma of the Abia State High Court in Suit No. HU/225M/2025, instituted by the Abia State Board of Internal Revenue Service (BIRS) against Globacom.

In the judgment, the court ordered the telecommunications company to pay the Abia State Government the sum of ₦4,048,748,880, representing outstanding Right of Way Withholding Taxes and other statutory levies. The court further directed that the amount should attract a 10 per cent annual interest from the date the taxes became due until full liquidation.

The court also granted an order of distraint, authorising the seizure of Globacom’s goods, chattels and premises within Abia State, and empowered the sale of such assets after 14 days to recover the unpaid taxes.

As of the time of filing this report, Globacom’s offices across the state remained sealed. However, it was gathered that the company has filed an appeal against the judgment.

Details of the appeal could not be independently confirmed, as neither the Abia State Board of Internal Revenue Service nor the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Ikechukwu Uwanna, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), had issued official statements on the matter at press time. (Guardian)

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