Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has described the January raid by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on the Lagos Head Office of the Dangote Group as a deliberate attempt to embarrass his company. Speaking during an interview on Bloomberg TV in New York, Dangote revealed that the EFCC operatives visited without engaging with staff or making any arrests, insinuating that their presence served no investigative purpose.
“They told us to go back, that they would visit our office, and before we knew it, they were already there. They didn’t speak to anyone or make any arrests—they just came and left, clearly to register an embarrassment,” Dangote explained.
Despite the incident, Dangote reaffirmed the company’s transparency, emphasizing that their operations remain “100 percent clean.” He underscored the Dangote Group’s immense contribution to Nigeria’s economy, noting that his company pays more in taxes than the entire banking industry. “In 2023, we paid more taxes than the entire banking sector combined. This is why, with our position at the top, we ensure our behavior is impeccable, regardless of the government in place,” he said.
He further stated that the company is fully cooperative with authorities and willing to provide any necessary documentation.
The EFCC’s visit was part of an ongoing investigation into alleged preferential forex allocations to the Dangote Group and 51 other companies during Godwin Emefiele’s tenure as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria. Following the raid, Dangote Group issued a statement clarifying that they had already submitted all requested documents to the EFCC during a prior invitation and were puzzled by the second visit.
“We don’t know why they came again after we had already submitted the documents. They left empty-handed because we had previously honored their request,” the statement read, adding that the company continues to cooperate fully with the investigation.
