Benin — Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole has said that contrary to reports, the Benin airport was never shut down.

Addressing newsmen, he said chairman of the state's Board of Internal Revenue, did not shut down airport, but only the administrative office of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) located inside the airport. He added that the action was due to FAAN's non remission of N15 million Pay As You Earn (PAYE) deductible tax from staff salary for 2011.

"In the past, we had to use judicial means to get their money from them. This time, we served them notice but they failed to respond to it. We had to serve them court notice to that effect, which they still did not respond to. Hence, we sealed up their administrative office. The earlier report was a deliberate attempt to blackmail the government, it was their office we sealed, and not the gates of the airport," he said.

He regretted the arrest of the Board of Internal Revenue chairman, Chief Oseni Elamah, over the incident.

Oshiomhole said instead of the board's chairman, police should have arrested the Airport Manager, since according to him, he was the one who disobeyed the law by not paying the tax due to the state. Daily Trust gathered that the arrest was on the orders of the Inspector General of Police.