More details have emerged following the raid on Bureau de Change (BDC) Operators in Abuja, Lagos and Kano State by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The EFCC operatives backed by armed policemen stormed their makeshift stalls located opposite the Sheraton Hotel in Zone 4, Wuse, Abuja on Tuesday and arrested many of the BDC operators and customers.
The arrested suspects were dragged into waiting vehicles as the raid stalled traffic in the area and disrupted the day’s business as many of the BDC operators in Abuja went underground.
Abuja Raid
However, it is understood that no fewer than 87 forex dealers were arrested by EFCC operatives in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Lagos, and Kano between Tuesday and Wednesday.
According to The Punch, 40 forex dealers were arrested on Tuesday during a raid of their Zone 4 Wuse offices, and 25 legal and illegal dealers were arrested on Wednesday, bringing the number of arrests in Abuja to 65.
During the operation, the EFCC personnel were said to have seized the phones of the suspects and their vaults for stash of dollars and naira.
Lagos, Kano Raid
The anti-graft agency also nabbed about 14 forex dealers in Lagos on Wednesday while eight others were picked up at the famous Bureau de Change market located at Wapa in the Kano metropolis.
It was learned that the EFCC operatives stormed the BDC market in Kano in two buses, causing panic among traders and residents of the area
Association of BDC Operators Speaks
The Assistant Provost, Association of BDC Operators, Zone 4, Wuse, Muhammed Nera, has described the raids on the offices of forex dealers in Abuja as illegal and an abuse of human rights.
Nera, in a chat with The Punch, stated that the commission did not present an arrest or search warrant before ransacking offices and arresting his members.
He, however, disclosed that 13 out of the 25 persons arrested on Wednesday had been released to the association, noting that their phones were still with the EFCC.
He said: “Forty persons were arrested on Tuesday but they have released almost all of them but held on to their phones which they went to collect on Wednesday. They kept them throughout the whole day before releasing their handsets.
“Today (Wednesday), they came again and arrested 25 persons. They released 13 of them without their phones and detained 12 others. Over 30 phones were seized; they even seized the phones of some bankers who were looking for depositors. It was when they wanted to leave that they realised their error and returned the phones.’’
Nera accused the EFCC of harassing and arresting the BDC operators because they were northerners, insisting that they have not done anything wrong.
He challenged the anti-graft agency to disclose the crimes for which the dealers were being held, noting that they were ordinary Nigerians doing legitimate business.
Nera said, “They (EFCC operatives) heard that people are bringing naira to the market to change into dollars. What is bad about that? Is it stolen money? If it is stolen money, let us know. We can work together, and help to identify people who stole their money.
“We don’t understand what these people were doing. They threatened to break down our offices. They said if they met any office locked, they would break it down. They didn’t show us any warrant; they were just entering offices, they are doing illegal work. They didn’t have any warrant; just because they are EFCC. Anybody can wear (EFCC) jackets and claim to be EFCC.
“They didn’t collect money, it was just the harassment, threatening people. A bureau de change is a legal business. We have our certificates, we are doing legal business just like banks.
“About 90 percent of bureau de change operators are northerners. We are thinking they are harassing us because we are northerners but we are citizens of Nigeria. This business is not only for northerners, it is being done in Lagos and other places but most are northerners.
‘’They just want to cripple us because we have been keeping quiet. They have been harassing our people every time; it is annoying, and it is getting out of hand. Nobody is above the law but they are breaking the law. We are going to petition the National Assembly and also take them to court. We are going to fight to the end.”
