• Commission must have acted on credible intel, says Aiyedatiwa
• IGP already reviewing incident, say police
Protest, yesterday, rocked Akure, the Ondo State capital, following last weekend’s raid on some nightclubs by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The protesters, mainly youths, condemned the Gestapo-styled invasion of the clubs and the way customers were dehumanised.
Recall that EFCC officials stormed the popular Signatures and Alba Royale clubs, where 127 suspected Internet fraudsters were arrested, including a groom-to-be.
The Ibadan zonal office of the commission, which had, in various statements, confirmed the raid, disclosed that the suspects were picked based on intelligence, and that the operation aligned with its module of operandi.
But the youths frowned at the brutality meted on the suspects, saying it was uncalled for.
One of the protesters, Tobi Akinnubi, said: “In Nigeria now, youths cannot use phones or laptops; they can’t drive cars because the EFCC sees them as fraudsters. Our ladies have been taken away; have they committed any offence? This is purely brutality. Enough is enough, and we must put an end to this. We demand justice for these actions. The Federal Government should please look into this case because we can’t continue like this.”
Following the protest, which terminated at the Governor’s Office, the youths were addressed by the Secretary to the State Government, Tayo Oluwatuyi, and Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Saka Yusuf-Ogunleye.
Meanwhile, the Ondo State Police Command said the Inspector General of Police (IGP) was taking steps to ensure that all concerns regarding the operations were addressed without prejudice.
Calling for peace, the Commissioner, through the Police Public Relations Officer, Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, said the command recognised the constitutional rights of citizens to peaceful protest, but these rights must be exercised without breach of public order and without infringement on the rights of other law-abiding citizens.
She said: “The police owe it a duty to protect the rights of all citizens and foreign nationals resident within, or transiting through the state at all times. We appeal to the good people of Ondo State, especially the youths who claimed to have been adversely affected by the sting operation, to act with restraint and comport themselves within the ambits of the laws of the land.
“Victims and their sympathisers are urged to calm their frayed nerves, follow laid-down procedures in channelling their complaints to appropriate authorities for possible redress, and not embark on a self-help mission that can lead to the breakdown of law and order in the state.”
Also, the governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, said the raid must have been carried out based on credible intelligence.
The governor disclosed this while meeting with the owners of nightclubs over the incident. He sympathised with them on the damage done to their facilities during the raid. He said EFCC has a mandate to arrest suspects on its radar, and advised the innocent to seek legal redress.
Aiyedatiwa, who said there cannot be smoke without a fire, urged the nightclub owners to compile a record of all their destroyed facilities and use this to present their genuine cases to the authorities.
He said he had been in communication with security agencies to get credible reports on the incident, and promised to intervene where necessary.
The owners of nightclubs and hotels affected by the raid also gave accounts of how their facilities were allegedly vandalised by officers of the anti-graft agency.
The owners of the clubs, under the aegis of Ondo State Lounge and Club Owners Association (OSLACOA), alleged that the operatives looted expensive drinks from bars.
Speaking through Abayomi Ajepe, they described the attitude of the anti-graft agents as barbaric.
