By Kolawole Ojebisi
The controversy surrounding the arrival of truckload of workers at the Dangote Refinery at the Ibeju-Lekki facility has deepened, leading to a subsequent heightening of Lagosians’ concerns despite assurance from the police.
This is as the management of the refinery denied involvement in the recruitment and the eventual transportation of the 89 workers captured in a viral video while arriving in Lagos.
The labourers have been widely reported to be from Katsina.
However, reacting to the development in a interview with Weekend Trust on Saturday, the spokesman 0f Dangote Refinery, Anthony Echiejile claimed that the company did not know anything about the recruitment of the workers.
He maintained that the management of the company has initiated an investigation into the development.
Echiejile said this in a short text message sent to Weekend Trust.
He said, “We did not know anything about them. They were brought in by one of our vendors, working in the refinery
“And as you know, for a project of that magnitude, we have so many vendors, working for us.
“We are already investigating the matter too,”
Recall that the arrival of 89 youths, believed to be Northeners, in Lagos was captured in a video that’s been circulating online.
The youths are seen disembarking from a truck and gathering in front of a company near the refinery.
The development has sparked an admixture of outrage and concern from the public which eventually alerted the police over the group.
However, the Lagos State police command allayed public fears, saying that the young men were legitimately recruited workers.
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, the command’s spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, stated: “Upon receipt of the information on May 14, 2025, officers from the command immediately deployed to the location to ascertain the facts.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the young men in question, 89 in number, had arrived from Katsina State and were recruited to work as labourers at the Dangote Refinery in Lekki.”
