Bureau De Change operators in Kano have demanded a public exoneration and compensation from the federal government over the arrest and detention of their members for over one year on allegations of terrorism financing.
The operators also urged the federal government to return all the mobile phones and other belongings of the released members to the owners.
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The call was made by a former chairman of Wapa BDC Market, Kano, Alhaji Abdulhadi Rabiu Kura, when he paid a visit to the Daily Trust office in Kano.
Daily Trust reports that scores of the BDC operators were arrested last year and kept in detention but following an outcry by their families, some of them were recently released while others are still detained.
Kura was reacting to comments by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN) when he interacted with BBC Hausa, where he said some of the detained BDC operators were released because it was discovered that they had no hand in the alleged terrorism financing.
The former chairman said the federal government should make it public that the people were exonerated because they were facing challenges with their business partners.
“People are now afraid of patronising these people because of what happened. So, we really appreciate the federal government and the minister, but we are calling on him to make it public so that people will know that these people haven’t committed any crime.
“The FG should also give them back their phones and other important belongings in order for them to continue with their normal businesses. They also went through difficulties as the little resources they had before had been spent while taking care of their families.
“So, I think they should also get some support from the government; that is compensation,” he said.
Kura demanded that their members still in detention be taken to court within a short period of time.
He cautioned their members to always watch the kind of people they interacted with in the course of their businesses, and also avoid engaging in any activity that could lead them into trouble.
