At the Wuse Zone 4 market, some Bureau De Change (BDC) operators were apprehended by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday.
During a sting operation, it was reported that certain BDC operators resisted the arrest.
The EFCC operatives had been conducting routine raids to clean up the market from street traders and prevent unauthorized trading.
However, the attempt was met with resistance on Tuesday, resulting in gunshots and damage to the vehicles of the operatives, as confirmed by two currency traders who were present during the incident, according to Punch.
Expressing his views, one of the traders, who preferred to remain anonymous out of fear of reprisal, mentioned that the traders reacted out of frustration since the arrests had become frequent and seemed to be driven by an intention to extort money from them.
He stated, “The EFCC officials came for a raid and made arrests on Monday, and they returned today (Tuesday) with a stronger operation.
“This is the ongoing problem. Yesterday (Monday), they detained traders, but today they faced resistance and gunshots were fired because our people resisted the arrests. They felt agitated and provoked, leading to the destruction of EFCC vehicles today, indicating that people are growing weary and desperate.”
Another trader who verified the incident cautioned that persistent raids by the anti-corruption agency could escalate into fatalities.
The trader, also opting to remain unnamed, expressed, “If this continues, it might result in casualties because if they attempt to make arrests again, nobody will comply, and others will band together to prevent anyone from being taken away.
“That was the scenario today. People are beginning to retaliate because all they encounter post-arrest is a demand for money. There is no resolution. They are causing us distress.”