By: Adeyemi Lahanmi.
In a bid to further strengthen the naira, over 200 Bureau De Change suspects have been arrested by the EFCC for forex scam, currency speculation and manipulating the financial markets.
Sources privy to the development but not authorised to speak said that over 200 suspected Bureau De Change operators were in EFCC custody across the country.
Other close sources to the development but not authorised to speak disclosed that over 200 suspected Bureau De Change operators were in EFCC custody across the country.
A source revealed, “Over 200 suspects have been arrested by the EFCC for forex scam and currency speculation. Not all the arrested suspects are in Abuja or at our headquarters because they were arrested in various states across the country.”
Another source disclosed“I can confirm that we have arrested over 200 people for foreign exchange scam and manipulation of the financial markets; they are all being interrogated by our investigators to determine the degrees of their involvements. Most of them were arrested in Abuja, Lagos, Rivers, and Kano States.”
It was reported last week that the EFCC expanded its clampdown exercise on BDC operators, arresting traders in Lagos, Kano and Port Harcourt.
The raid of the BDC operators by EFCC is part of the Federal Government’s efforts to tame the free fall of the naira as the government blamed the actions of speculators in the forex market and digital marketing sphere for the significant depreciation of the naira.
Last week Friday, May 17, operatives of the Uyo Zonal command of the EFCC arrested Hassan Umaru; Haruna Umar, Badamasi Abdullahi, Auwal Muhammed and Kasimu Muhammed suspected forex speculators at the Ama-Hausa mosque, along Hospital Road, Aba in Abia State.
The spokesperson for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, in a statement, revealed that the suspects had different currencies in varied sums at the point of arrest.
Oyewale revealed, “The recovered currencies are: 23,000 Won (Korean currency), 52 (Yuan Chinese currency), $6, 500 Nippon Ginko, 40 notes of Dalawampung Piso (Philippines currency), 20 Gambian Dalasis, 20 Swaziland currency and N382,000. Other recovered items from them are seven mobile phones, one power bank, one air pod, and one ATM card.
“They were arrested by operatives of the command, following weeks of surveillance and credible intelligence. The suspects will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.”
