In a targeted operation along Owerri Road, Ogui, Enugu State, a joint task force successfully arrested 115 suspects, comprising 113 men and 2 women, for engaging in currency racketeering. The operation was launched following credible intelligence indicating the presence of illicit foreign exchange markets involving certain bureau de change operators, currency speculators, and street vendors in the area.
According to a statement released by the EFCC via its official channel on Thursday, preliminary investigations revealed that a significant portion of the apprehended suspects were foreign nationals hailing from the Niger Republic.
During the operation, the task force seized a total of N110,700,000.00, $8,368.00, and assorted foreign currencies from the suspects.
This action comes in the wake of ongoing efforts by the administration led by President Bola Tinubu to address the depreciation of the naira in the foreign exchange market, prompting continued crackdowns on bureau de change operators.
The recovered items included N110,700,000.00 in Nigerian currency, $8,368.00 in US dollars, £145.00 in British pounds, €2,725 in euros, 900 South African Rands, 32,000.00 CFA, 100 Turkiya, and 500 Bank Mozambique currencies in various denominations. Additionally, a safe, presumably abandoned by one of the street hawkers, was also retrieved.
Preliminary investigations have indicated that a number of the apprehended suspects are nationals from the neighboring Niger Republic.