2.1.2026
An alleged N300 million briberies have thrown organisers of a planned nationwide protest against Nigeria’s new Tax Laws into disarray.
A faction of the organisers of the protest scheduled for January 20, 2026, accused the group’s leadership of collecting a ₦300 million bribe to organise the protest with the aim of causing unrest across the country.
The faction led by one Mustapha Abdulahi, in a statement, also announced that it will no longer participate in the protest.
He also urged security agencies to arrest the organisers of the planned January 20 protest to prevent a breakdown of law and order and investigate the bribery claim.
Abdulahi accused the opposition African Democratic Congress, ADC being responsible for the bribery while alleging that the protest has been hijacked for political purposes.
“The allegation of ₦300 million bribe has divided members of the group planning a protest against the Tax Reform Laws,” Abdulahi said.
“We have broken away from the group following the discovery that some members of the leadership have collected a bribe to the tune of ₦300 million. We hereby call on the EFCC to immediately investigate this matter.”
“We have uncovered, to our chagrin, that the leadership of the group is being influenced and sponsored by the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the opposition coalition, with the sole purpose of causing public disorder and commotion,” he said.
He accused the opposition party of seeking to exploit public discontent over the tax reforms to ignite unrest and possibly force a regime change.
“We have it on good authority that the ADC, having been faced with the reality of making no significant impact in the 2027 general elections, sees this as an opportunity to create anarchy which could possibly lead to a regime change,” Abdulahi added. “On this note, we call on security agencies to arrest and prosecute the leader of the movement and his wingmen.”
Abdullahi said the initial support for the planned protest was out of concern for Nigerians grappling with economic hardship with fears especially following the commencement of the Tax Reform Laws on January 1, 2026.
“We initially embraced the struggle when the intention was purely to prevail on the government to have a rethink over the laws as they affect common Nigerians who are already being hit hard by the economic realities of the time,” Abdulahi said.
However, he said the group could no longer be associated with the protest after discovering it had become “a money-spinning venture and a platform for political patronage.”
“Now that some of our members have turned it into a money-spinning venture and political patronage, we have backed out and reiterate our call on the EFCC and security agencies to investigate and prosecute those involved for bribery and plans to cause violence,” he stated. NAN