The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has initiated a search operation at the Lagos head office of Dangote Group, News About Nigeria reports.
Reports indicate that the anti-graft agency conducted the operation to request documents related to the allocation of foreign exchange (FX) to the conglomerate by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) during the tenure of the former CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele.
The investigation focuses on forex allocations over the past decade, and Dangote Group is not the sole company under scrutiny in this regard.
Big companies including Dangote Group, BUA Group and 50 others were under the searchlight of the EFCC.
The search comes amid broader efforts by the EFCC to examine FX allocations by the CBN during Emefiele’s tenure, who was removed from office in June 2023 and faced allegations of fraud.
Emefiele, after being charged to court, was granted bail and spent time in Kuje Correctional Centre until he fulfilled his bail conditions shortly before Christmas.
In a related development, EFCC on Thursday debunked news making the rounds that the former Minister of Humanitarian Affair, Disaster Management, and Social Development, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, shunned the anti-graft agency’s invitation.
According to the EFCC, the former minister did not shun its invitation, as reported by a section of the media.
The clarification was made by the spokesperson of the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, during a chat with NAN in Abuja.
The spokesperson of the anti-graft agency explained that the former minister had sent a letter to the commission explaining that she would not be able to honour the invitation because of her health challenges.
In his own words, ”It is true that she didn’t show up but she sent a letter pleading for more time, explaining that she had some health challenges. She didn’t shun the EFCC invitation; she actually gave reasons why she couldn’t meet up.”
Oyewale further revealed that the former minister also sent her lawyer to the commission for a proper briefing on why she couldn’t come.
He also stated that, because of how she presented her plea and by sending her lawyer to properly inform them, the commission considered her plea and would not forcefully arrest her.
