Adebayo Adenrele
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC), has apprehended no fewer than 87 Forex Dealers in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Lagos and Kano.
NEWSTODAYNG gathered that the EFCC detectives stormed several forex trading arena in the Federal Capital Territory, ransacking their vaults for stash of dollars and naira.
The operatives later arrested 25 legal and illegal Forex Dealers in addition to the 40 arrested on Tuesday during a raid of the Zone 4 Wuse offices of the Association of Bureau de Change Operators, bringing the number of arrests in the Federal Capital Territory to 65.
During the operation, the EFCC personnel seized the phones of those that were arrested.
The anti-graft agency also nabbed about 14 forex dealers in Lagos while eight others were nabbed at the famous Bureau de Change market located at Wapa in Kano metropolis.
In Lagos, EFCC detectives swooped on Forex Dealers on Broad Street in Lagos Island and some Bureau de Change outlets in other parts of the states.
Forex traders, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the EFCC operatives came in two buses. It was learnt that about 14 Bureau de Change operators were arrested in Lagos.
Though no reason had been given for the raids by the EFCC operation but, it was garnered that the Operatives targeted at tracking illicit funds from terrorists, bandits and politicians who might want to convert their stash in a desperate move to beat the redesign of the naira announced by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
But speaking on the Abuja raid, the Assistant Provost, Association of Bureau de Change Operators, Zone 4, Wuse, Mallam Muhammed Nera, disclosed that 13 out of the 25 persons arrested on Wednesday had been released to the association, adding that their phones were still in the EFCC’s custody.
However, the EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren has not responded to the allegations at the press time of filing this report.
