Dangote Group Explains Visit by EFCC, Says No Accusations of Wrongdoing

*Insists commission made similar requests to 51 other companies
*Pledges to provide EFCC with all necessary information and cooperation

Ejiofor Alike

Dangote Group yesterday reacted to the widely reported visit of the officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to its headquarters in Lagos on January 4, 2024, following the concern and interest the visit has generated among the company’s partners, stakeholders, and the public.
In a statement issued last night, the company disclosed that on December 6, 2023, it received a letter from the commission, requesting the details of all the foreign exchange allocated to it by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from 2014 to 2023.

While stating that similar letters were also sent to 51 other companies requesting for same information, the Dangote Group said it responded to the EFCC, acknowledging the receipt of the letter and also seeking clarification on the subsidiaries that they required information on.
“We also requested additional time to compile and properly present the extensive documentation spanning 10 years.
“However, the EFCC did not provide the clarification sought and also did not honour our request for an extension, and insisted on receiving the complete set of documents within the limited timeframe.

“Despite this constraint, we assured the EFCC of our commitment to providing the information and pledged to share documents in batches as we complete the compilation,” Dangote said.
The company further explained that on January 4, 2024, its team delivered the first batch of documents to the EFCC.
“However, officers of the EFCC did not accept the documents, insisting on visiting our offices to collect the same set of documents directly,” the company added.
The company revealed that while its representatives were still at the EFCC’s office to deliver the documents, a team of the commission’s officers proceeded to visit its offices “to demand the same documents in a manner that appeared designed to cause us unwarranted embarrassment.

“Worthy of note is the fact that the officials did not take any documents or files from our Head Office during their visit as these were already in their office.
“We must emphasise that, to our knowledge, no accusations of wrongdoing have been made against any company within our Group. At present, we are only responding to a request for information to assist the EFCC with their ongoing investigation,” the company said.
Dangote Group noted that as a law-abiding and ethical corporate citizen, it remains committed to providing the EFCC with all necessary information and cooperation.

“We have already delivered the first batch of documents and are actively working to compile and submit the remaining documents, in good time, to aid their investigation.
“Our Group is a key contributor to the national GDP, the largest employer in the private sector, one of the largest groups listed on the Nigerian Exchange, and one of the highest taxpayers in the country. We remain steadfast in our belief in Nigeria’s commitment to the rule of law and its dedication to fostering an environment conducive to investment and value creation for both local and foreign investors.
“We therefore call for the understanding and patience of our stakeholders. We will keep our stakeholders informed of any further developments,” the company added.