Section 50: Official secrecy and confidentiality.

(1) Every person in an official duty or being employed in the administration of this Act shall regard and deal with all documents, information, returns, assessment list and copies of such list relating to the profits or items of profits of any company, as secret and confidential.
(2) A person in possession of or control, of any document, information, return of assessment list or copy of such list relating to the income or profits or losses of any person, who at any time communicates or attempts to communicate such information or anything contained in such document, return, list or copy to any person-
(a) other than a person to whom he is authorized by the Service to communicate it ;
(b) otherwise than for the purpose of this Act or of any enactment in Nigeria imposing tax on the income of persons, commits an offence under this Act.
(3) A person appointed or employed under this Act shall not be required to produce any return, document or assessment or to divulge or communicate any information that comes into his possession in the performance of his duties except as may be necessary in order to institute a prosecution, or in the course of a prosecution for any offence committed in relation to any tax in Nigeria.
(4) Where under any law in force in respect of any double taxation treaty with any country, provision is made for the allowance of relief from income tax in respect of the payment of income tax in Nigeria, the obligation as to secrecy imposed by this section shall not prevent the disclosure to the authorized officers of the Government in that country of such facts as may be necessary to enable the proper relief to be given in cases where relief is claimed from the tax in Nigeria or from income tax in that country.
(5) Where any agreement or arrangement with any other country with respect to relief for double taxation of income or profits includes provisions for the exchange of information with that country for the purpose of implementing that relief or preventing avoidance of tax, the obligation as to secrecy imposed by this section shall not prevent the disclosure of such information to the authorized officers of the Government of such country.