The owner of Joyous Hotel and Suites in Nyanya, Abuja, Mr. Gabriel Ogwuche Ogah, has raised concerns over what he described as an unprovoked and disruptive operation by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at the facility
Ogah petitioned the EFCC over what he described as an “illegal, violent, and destructive raid” by the commission’s operatives.
On June 30, 2025, the EFCC announced the arrest of 74 individuals at the hotel, claiming the suspects were involved in internet fraud.
According to the commission, the arrests followed “actionable intelligence,” and 86 mobile phones, a pistol, and three motorcycles were recovered during the operation. The agency said the suspects would be prosecuted.
However, the statement did not indicate whether a search warrant was obtained.
Speaking with journalists, Ogah denied the EFCC’s account and described the incident as a raid in the early hours of the fateful day by unidentified armed men who failed to present a warrant or properly introduce themselves.
He said the men assaulted the hotel staff, vandalised some property and confiscated vital equipment and documents.
“They destroyed our control room, removed our CCTV machines, broke doors, and beat up my staff. Up till now, we don’t have any footage, records, or guest list for that night. They took everything away,” he said.
Ogah claimed that the latest raid was the second in a similar fashion, recalling that the earlier incident occurred on April 28, 2025, which was allegedly carried out without documentation or prior notice.
“In both cases, there was no formal introduction, no uniforms, and no warrant. We were simply left to deal with the aftermath,” he said, adding that his legal team had petitioned both the EFCC and the inspector-general of police (IGP), demanding explanations and compensation for the damages.
Also, a supervisor at the hotel, Ms. Vivian Azubuike, said in the April incident, the operatives arrived at at 2 a.m., forced entry into the hotel’s control room, took the CCTV footage, broke down doors, and assaulted the employees.
“That very night, I heard a noise upstairs and sent the security personnel to investigate. While doing that, a group of men stormed the premises. They forced their way into the control room, took our CCTV recordings and identified themselves as EFCC. They also broke several doors and took away two individuals,” she said.
Another supervisor, Mr. Apeh Monday, claimed that one of the guests jumped out of the window, thinking that the hotel was under attack by robbers. “He broke his leg. A staff member who was slapped during the incident has since resigned,” he added.
Ogah expressed concerns about the EFCC’s assertion that a pistol was found on the premises and questioned the link between the arrested individuals and his hotel.
“Some of the operatives had their faces covered. How could we even verify who they were? And how can we confirm that those arrested were our guests when all our records were taken away?” he said.
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