An unspecified number of students from the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) were apprehended by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) officials in a surprising hostel raid outside the campus during the early hours of Wednesday.
“The EFCC operatives conducted the raid around student accommodations in Orita Obele, Road block at approximately 2am, forcibly entering rooms and detaining the students,” reported sources.
Initial confusion led many students to mistake the anti-corruption agency’s operatives for kidnappers, until it was later understood that they were indeed representatives from the EFCC, specifically from the commission’s Benin Zonal office.
“Properties were not only damaged by the officials, but a majority of the detained students faced physical assaults and brutality. This included female students as well,” shared an informant.
Notable lodges like Adonai, Celebrity, and Peace apartment, among others in Orita Obele, were affected. “I will provide further details as they become available,” the source added.
This development occurs a few months after EFCC’s chairman, Ola Olukoyede, mandated a cessation of nocturnal sting operations by the commission’s operatives.
Following an event where 69 suspected internet fraudsters were arrested in Ile-Ife, Osun State, by the Ibadan Zonal officers, Olukoyede instructed, “In accordance with the revised guidelines on the arrest and bail processes of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, sting operations during the night are to be discontinued across all EFCC Commands,” during a declaration made in Abuja on November 1, 2023.
Dele Oyewale, the Head of Media & Publicity for the commission, assured in a statement, “The EFCC remains committed to upholding the rule of law in its operations and mandate fulfillment.”
Additionally, the EFCC announced adjustments in its arrest and bail protocols to better align “with the rule of law and international standards for suspect treatment”.
Instructions were issued to prevent suspect detentions beyond legally permitted durations without a valid remand warrant and to prioritize “suspect rights, particularly in matters of arrest, detention, and bail”.
The directive further specified that EFCC officers are to refrain from insisting on “professional certificates from sureties as a condition for bail” and that demands for suspects’ international passports should be “considered carefully, based on the case specifics, the individual’s profile, and place of residence”.