EFCC’s Raid: Dangote Explains, Assures Stakeholders 

EFCC’s Raid: Dangote Explains, Assures Stakeholders 

The management of Dangote Industries Limited has addressed the concerns of stakeholders following a visit by officials from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to its Head Office in Lagos.

The conglomerate has assured its readiness to assist the commission in its investigations.

In a statement, the company explained that it had received a letter from the EFCC on December 6, 2023, requesting details of all foreign exchange allocations it had received from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from 2014 to the present day.

Dangote Group emphasized that this request was not unique to them, as similar letters had been sent to 51 other groups of companies, seeking the same information covering the same period.

The company has responded to the EFCC, acknowledging receipt of the letter and seeking clarification on which subsidiaries or companies within the Group the commission requires information on.

It has also requested additional time to compile and present the extensive documentation spanning a period of ten years.

However, the EFCC did not provide the clarification sought and also did not honour the request for an extension and insisted on receiving the complete set of documents within the limited timeframe.

The management of Dangote Group stated, “Despite this constraint, we assured the EFCC of our commitment to providing the information and pledged to share documents in batches as we complete the compilation.

“On 4 January 2024, our team delivered the first batch of documents to the EFCC. However, officers of the EFCC did not accept the documents, insisting on visiting our offices to collect the same set of documents directly.

“Whilst our representatives were still at the EFCC’s office to deliver the documents, a team of their officers proceeded to visit our offices to demand for the same documents in a manner that appeared designed to cause us unwarranted embarrassment. Worthy of note is the fact that the officials did not take any documents or files from our Head office during their visit as these were already in their office.

“We must emphasize that, to our knowledge, no accusations of wrongdoing have been made against any company within our Group. 

“At present, we are only responding to a request for information to assist the EFCC with their ongoing investigation.

“As a law-abiding and ethical corporate citizen, we remain committed to providing the EFCC with all necessary information and cooperation.

“We have already delivered the first batch of documents and are actively working to compile and submit the remaining documents, in good time, to aid their investigation.

“Our Group is a key contributor to the national GDP, the largest employer in the private sector, one of the largest groups listed on the Nigerian Exchange and one of the highest taxpayers in the country. 

“We remain steadfast in our belief in Nigeria’s commitment to the rule of law and its dedication to fostering an environment conducive for investment and value creation for both local and foreign investors.”