The chairman of the House Committee on Petroleum Resources and Downstream, Ikenga Ikeagwuonu, has said the raid on offices of Dangote Group by officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) can hurt the economy.
The lawmaker, on Friday, expressed concern that the move by the anti-graft agency could deter potential investors and paint Nigeria in a bad light to the international community, as reported by Bloomberg.
Nairametrics earlier reported that EFCC visited the headquarters of the Dangote Group in Lagos to scrutinize the financial records of the company.
The raid was part of an ongoing investigation into the misappropriation of foreign currency obtained from during the tenure of former CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, the unnamed sources revealed.
Here’s what Ikeagwuonu said:
- “The raid on Dangote Group is not only very suspicious but most importantly capable of worsening the economic situation and scaring investors.
- “What will the international community think of Nigeria when they read about news like this?
- “Given our current fragile economic situation, I believe this move by the EFCC will worsen things.
- “Now is not time.”
Furthermore, the lawmaker assured that he would table the case before the HoR parliament when it reconvenes next week.
Back story
- Nairametrics earlier reported that the EFFC raided the offices of Dangote Group in Lagos on Thursday.
- The purpose of the visit was to scrutinize the financial records of the company as part of an investigation into potential misappropriation of foreign currency obtained from the Emefiele-led CBN.
- The former CBN governor, Emefiele, who was arrested in June on charges including fraud, is currently being investigated by EFCC for but not limited to providing dollars at lower rates to certain businesses, including Dangote, during his reign as head of CBN.
- However, Emefiele still maintains his innocence and denies that he is in the wrong.
