The Oodua Youth Coalition (OYC) has called upon President Bola Tinubu and Ola Olukoyode, the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to intervene and restrain EFCC officials from conducting illegal raids.
The statement from Tayo Oluyi, the president of OYC, was issued on Thursday in response to the EFCC’s recent raid on students of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile Ife.
Mr. Oluyi strongly condemned the unprofessional conduct of EFCC operatives during the midnight raid on the OAU undergraduate hostel, likening their actions to the nationwide #EndSARS protest. He emphasized the need for the EFCC officials to adhere to professional standards in their operations and respect the rights of Nigerian citizens.
In the early hours of Wednesday, EFCC officials arrested sixty-nine OAU undergraduate students, accusing them of internet fraud. The students were later released on bail after public outcry against the midnight raid. The EFCC claimed the raid was based on actionable intelligence regarding the students’ suspected involvement in fraudulent internet-related activities.
Mr. Oluyi expressed the OYC’s disapproval of the EFCC’s attempt to infringe upon the rights of Nigerians, noting that some of the students were freelancers and remote workers engaged in legitimate online work. He criticized the EFCC’s decision to parade the students’ names, highlighting that owning a laptop does not equate to involvement in internet fraud. He also raised concerns about alleged extortion by EFCC officials during the raid, calling for an investigation into these claims.
Following the incident, the EFCC has imposed a ban on “sting operations at night” by its officers in all commands across the country. The OYC continues to advocate for the protection of citizens’ rights and adherence to the rule of law in law enforcement activities.
