Acting on a tip-off by a whistleblower, men of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) stormed an abandoned bureau de change in Victoria Island, Lagos on Friday where they recovered N449 million.
The money was denominated in N500 and N1000 notes and stashed in several ‘Ghana-must-go’ bags.
Wilson Uwujaren, spokesman of the EFCC, confirmed the raid, saying the commission acted on an intelligence report.
“The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Lagos Office, in the evening of Friday, April 7, 2017 uncovered yet another large sum of suspected laundered money to the tune of N448,850,000 (Four hundred and forty-eight million, eight hundred and fifty thousand naira) in a shop at LEGICO Shopping Plaza, Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, Lagos,” the statement read.
“The money stashed in several Ghana-Must-Go bags were in N500 and N1000 denominations, hidden in a shop awaiting conversion into foreign currency.
“Acting on a tip-off by a concerned whistleblower, operatives of the Commission swooped on the shopping complex and sought the identity of the owners of two shops, LS 64 and LS 67 which were under lock and key.
“The shops had signages of Bureau de Change. Inquiries about the owner of shop 64 indicated that he had not been seen for a long time, as they claimed the shop had not been opened for businesses for close to two years.”
“Several calls were put to the owner of shop 67, but there was no response,” Uwujaren said.
“The attention of the plaza’s chairman and some traders were drawn in order to force the shops open. There was no money found in shop 67, but in shop 64 heaps of Ghana-Must-Go bags were found loaded on the floor of the shop. When the bags were unzipped they were found to contain bundles of naira notes totaling N448,850,000.
“Traders interviewed at the premises claimed they were not aware that such money was housed inside the shop, as the place hardly opens for business.
“The commission is investigating the matter in order to unravel the owner and source of the money.”