Popular Nigerian content creator Habeeb Hamzat, widely known as “Peller,” has accused the Lagos State Government of imposing what he described as “excessive taxation.”

In a video clip from a recent livestream with Afrobeats singer Tobechukwu Okoh, popularly called Peruzzi, Peller alleged that the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) issued him a tax bill of N36 million.

According to Peller, he had not received any form of assistance or benefit from the state government and questioned why he was being asked to pay such an amount.

“The task force said I should pay N36 million in tax. I swear to Almighty Allah, I don’t have anything. I only came into the limelight last year. Are you, Peruzzi, even paying tax, and how much is it? Why should I pay N36 million? The government has never given me anything, not even TikTok support,” he said during the livestream.

Peller further claimed that the tax demand was linked to an interview he granted on television where he said he was earning from TikTok.

He insisted the statement was exaggerated and that most of his income comes from foreign social media audiences rather than Nigerian sources.

In response, Peruzzi advised his colleague to settle the bill, warning of possible sanctions if the tax remained unpaid. He stressed that tax obligations apply to anyone earning income in Nigeria, regardless of how long they have been in the public eye.

“Why haven’t you paid your taxes? As a Nigerian, you must pay tax. The government doesn’t care whether you only became popular last year. They asked you to pay because you’re making money. If you don’t pay, they can arrest you,” Peruzzi said.

The LIRS has yet to respond publicly to the allegations.