The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) agents are allegedly interfering with “legitimate business activities” in Akure, the capital of Ondo state, according to Ondo state governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
His response on Sunday night comes after EFCC agents from the Ibadan Zonal Directorate arrested 127 people on Saturday when they were out having fun.
In a statement released on Saturday, the EFCC said that the people in custody were “internet fraudsters” who had been apprehended by means of reliable information during an early-morning sting operation during a “Yahoo Party” that was taking place concurrently at the Signature and Abah Clubs in Akure, Ondo State.
The announcement was met with allegations even though the EFCC had pledged to prosecute them. Several Nigerians posted on social media that the anti-graft agency had broken into businesses, hurt people, and falsely identified individuals as fraudsters.
Governor Ondo’s response
In a statement published on his X page at 11:40 p.m. on Saturday, Aiyedatiwa cautioned the federal government’s authorities, including the EFCC, not to interfere with business operations in his state.
“This evening, in accordance with the mandate to foster entrepreneurship in the state, I met with club owners at the Government House, Alagbaka Akure, to discuss the regrettable interruption of some clubhouses’ lawful business operations by EFCC agents.”
“It leaves a bad taste in our mouth, but we can’t stop reliable intelligence operations to purge con artists and scams from our society.”
“It is important to remember that legal business owners should always be promoted. As a result, I am sympathetic to business owners who have experienced some sort of setback and I implore them to maintain hope that all lost income can be promptly recovered.”
He tweeted, “We hope that no one conducting lawful business will ever be left stranded or oppressed by any government institution by the Government of Ondo State.”
The governor declared that his administration will never put up with immoral actions that are detrimental to our society’s advancement.
On the other hand, he called for the release of innocent prisoners right away and asked those who were involved in scams to confess to their crimes.
“Actions that will jeopardise the state or country’s security are not something we are prepared to support.
“I therefore appeal to those who have a case to answer to clear themselves with the operatives of the EFCC, while those who are innocent should not be made to endure further undue pain,” the governor declared.
EFCC’s right of response
Dele Oyewale, the head of the anti-graft agency’s media and publicity department, defended the agency’s actions in Akure during the accusations leveled at it. According to Oyewale, operatives used reliable intelligence to conduct a traditional sting operation at two clubs in Akure at the same time, which resulted in the arrest of the suspected fraudsters.
According to him, there was not an incident during the operation because the operators behaved professionally, per the set ground norm for such engagement.
He continued by saying that the widely shared social media post depicting EFCC agents abusing certain people was “stage-managed” to negatively portray the organization.
To prove the video’s purported falsity, Oyewale promised to conduct a forensic investigation on it and to build a case against the people who released “this distasteful stunt.”
“It was therefore shocking to be confronted with narratives, particularly from the social media about brutalization, including a trending video of two ladies showing bodies lacerated by whips.”
“ The Commission wants the public to discountenance this video as it may have been stage-managed to achieve unclear motives.”
In a statement posted on the EFCC’s X page on Saturday, Oyewale said, “The Commission wishes to state that no suspect was assaulted, brutalized, or subjected to any dehumanizing treatment during the Saturday operation.”
The federal government’s organization in charge of investigating and prosecuting financial crimes is the EFCC.
It relies on litigation to determine the outcome of its accusations against the accused since it is expected to act within the bounds of the law.
