Nigeria’s secret police, the State Security Service, SSS, also known as DSS, raided some markets in Awka and Onitsha in Anambra state on Friday, November 18, 2016 in search of illegal foreign currency hawkers.
A trader at the Eke Market in Awka told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, that some persons were arrested.
He said the DSS operatives also carted away huge sums of foreign currencies seized from the hawkers.
“We scampered for our lives when we saw them inside the market in the early hours of the day because no one knew their mission initially,” he said.
“They took over the market until later when we were able to find out their mission.”
A senior official of the DSS, who confirmed the raid to NAN, said that they acted on directives.
He said the exercise also took place in Onitsha, while other major markets in the state would also be raided.
“We are worried that some commercial banks’ officials were conniving with the hawkers in the markets to destabilise the government efforts to the sale the foreign currencies at cheaper rates,” he said.
“The economy is seriously affected by the actions of the illegal hawkers of foreign currencies.
“Our objective is to bring sanity in the system and let Nigerians procure the foreign currencies at government regulation.”
He urged them to go and secure licence to legalise their business operations. (NAN)
