Officials from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission conducted a raid on several Bureau de Change operators in the Wuse Zone 4 area of Abuja, on Monday,. The operation resulted in the apprehension of approximately 50 individuals operating illegally.
In response to the devaluation of the naira, the EFCC had established a Special Task Force spanning its commands to counteract activities involving the defacement of the Naira and the adoption of the dollar in the Nigerian economy. This information was communicated through a statement released by the EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, on Wednesday, February 7, 2024.
“The EFCC has raised a Special Task Force in all its zonal commands for the enforcement of extant laws against currency mutilation and dollarisation of the economy.
“The task force, inaugurated by the Executive Chairman of the commission, Ola Olukoyede, was raised to protect the economy from abuses, leakages, and distortions exposing it to instability and disruption”, the statement read.
A Bureau de Change operator, Dayyabu Mistila, who confirmed the raid and subsequent arrest to newsmen, stated that the operatives said the raid was because of the rising exchange rate of the dollar and other currencies against the naira at the forex market.
“Around 3 pm on Monday, officers of the EFCC raided Wuse Zone 4 and arrested over 50 of our members. They were complaining that BDC operators are responsible for the rising exchange rate of the dollar at the parallel exchange market ” he said.
While official FMDQ data showed that the naira dropped to N1,574.62 per dollar on Monday, Mistila confirmed that they exchanged a dollar for N1,660.
A viral video showed the moment the EFCC operatives stormed the BDC and shot in the air to disperse the operators who attempted to surround them.
As of the time of filing this report, spokesperson for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, could not be reached on the telephone for comment.