The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has summoned officials of the Dangote Group to Abuja to provide detailed documents on foreign exchange transactions conducted by the conglomerate over the past nine years, News About Nigeria reports.
This move is part of the ongoing investigation into the alleged abuse of foreign exchange allocations by the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.
Operatives of the EFCC had previously raided the headquarters of Dangote Industries Limited in Lagos on Thursday, seizing some documents related to foreign exchange transactions.
However, the documents collected did not cover all transactions, leading to the summoning of Dangote Group officials to bring the required documents to Abuja on Tuesday.
According to sources, Aliko Dangote, the billionaire owner of the Dangote Group, was not in Nigeria during the raid as he was reported to be in the United States.
Dangote is expected to return to Nigeria next week to address the situation personally.
The EFCC is investigating the alleged preferential allocations of foreign exchange to the Dangote Group and 51 other companies during Emefiele’s tenure as the CBN governor.
The Dangote Group has confirmed its cooperation with the EFCC’s requests, stating that its personnel are working to gather the necessary documents for the investigation.
The conglomerate has expressed surprise at the EFCC’s raid on its Lagos office, considering that its representatives were already in Abuja with some of the requested documents.
The EFCC, in response, said that the goal is to gather evidence and details on how government funds were allocated, denying any intention of witch-hunting.
The agency granted the Dangote Group officials additional time to compile the necessary documents for submission.
Before the raid, Dangote Industries had refuted allegations of involvement in forex malpractices and money laundering.
The company denied claims of facilitating $3.4 billion in illicit financial flows, claiming that its transactions were in line with international standards.
The ongoing investigation is part of the wider scrutiny into Emefiele’s tenure as the CBN governor, including allegations of unauthorised foreign currency deposits and manipulation of the naira exchange rate.
The EFCC is also examining the involvement of other people, including Tunde Sabiu, a former aide and nephew to former President Muhammadu Buhari, and 12 top directors of the CBN.
