The company said the state contradicted itself because Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello said the shutdown was due to alleged invalid acquisition of the company by Dangote Industries Limited while state officials who accompanied vigilantes to the Obajana Plant raised tax claims.
By Jeffrey Agbo
The management of Dangote Cement Plc has stressed that it owns Obajana Cement Plant and vowed to take legal action against vigilantes who invaded the facility on Wednesday acting on the orders of Kogi State Government.
A statement by the company’s Group Managing Director, Michel Puchercos, said the vigilantes shot 27 workers during the invasion and also destroyed the company’s property.
The company said the state contradicted itself because Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello said the shutdown was due to alleged invalid acquisition of the company by Dangote Industries Limited while state officials who accompanied vigilantes to the Obajana Plant raised tax claims.
The statement said, “The vigilantes, led by some officials of the State government were apparently acting on a resolution of the Kogi state House of Assembly on controversial tax claims; claims that the state governor had also contradicted when he said the shutdown was due to an alleged invalid acquisition of the company by Dangote Industries Limited.
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“In the process of forcefully evicting the workers to enforce the shutdown, the vigilantes shots at 27 of our workers and also destroyed some of the company’s property at the plant.
“We have taken steps to get the hoodlums apprehended by the law enforcement agencies, and we will ensure that full legal action is taken against them.
“We therefore appeal to all our staff and our esteemed customers to remain calm while we explore all possible legal steps to address the situation. The welfare of our staff remains our key focus as we work hard to minimize further impact on our people and operations.
“While we reiterate that Obajana Cement plant is 100% owned by Dangote Cement PLC, we remain resolute in transforming Africa, while creating sustainable value for our people, communities, investors and customers.”
