The management of Dangote Group has clarified that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) did not take any documents or files from its office during the visit of the commission’s officials to the Dangote Group’s headquarters in Lagos.
The conglomerate explained through a statement that it had cooperated and sent a team to deliver the documents being sought by the EFCC directly to the agency’s office, but the EFCC officials declined to accept the documents, insisting they would visit the group’s headquarters to collect same documents.
The statement reads: “On January 04, 2024, our 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.
“Whilst our representatives were still at the EFCC’s office to deliver the documents, a team of their officers proceeded to visit our offices to demand for 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.”
Dangote Group explained that it had received a letter from the EFCC on December 6, 2023, requesting for details of all the foreign exchange allocated to it by the Central Bank of Nigeria from 2014 to the present.
The management stated that it understood that the request from EFCC was not peculiar to Dangote Group as similar letters were sent to 51 other groups of companies requesting for same information spanning same period.
The group stated that it responded to the anti-graft agency to acknowledge receipt of the letter whilst seeking clarification on the subsidiaries or companies within the group that they required information on.
The firm said the EFCC also requested for 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 the request for an extension and insisted on receiving the complete set of documents within the limited timeframe,” Dangote Group stated.
The management of the group noted that despite the constraint, it assured the EFCC of its commitment to providing the information and pledged to share documents in batches as it completed the compilation.
“As a law-abiding and ethical corporate citizen, we remain 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 for investment and value creation for both local and foreign investors,” Dangote Group stated.
The group called for the understanding and patience of all stakeholders with a promise to inform the public of any further developments.
