A recent operation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), a parallel of the FBI in the United States, in Akure, the capital city of Ondo State in Southwest Nigeria, has sparked outrage and protests. The raid, which took place in the early hours of Saturday, June 8, targeted a hotel and a club, resulting in the arrest of 127 persons suspected of internet fraud.
However, the raid has been widely condemned as an act of brutality and harassment. Eyewitnesses and hotel owners alleged that EFCC operatives destroyed property, assaulted customers, and even disrupted a bachelor’s eve party, arresting the groom and his friends.
Protesters took to the streets on Monday, demanding the release of those arrested and an end to what they described as the EFCC’s harassment and extortion of innocent youths.
The EFCC has defended its actions, citing credible intelligence and its mandate to arrest suspects. A statement by the agency said the officials “conducted themselves professionally” during the sting operation, discrediting allegations of brutality and damage to property.
The Ondo State Government has condoled with the club owners who suffered losses during the operation, and about the arrested suspects he said, “We cannot stop credible intelligence efforts to rid our society of scams and scammers.”
—Ezinwanne Onwuka reports for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
