Youths in their hundreds yesterday trooped out to protest the raid of several hotels and Event Centre carried out in Akure the state capital by the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC).
Operatives of the commission raided Signature and Abah Clubs in the Alagbaka area of Akure, the capital of Ondo State, on Saturday and arrested 127 suspected internet fraudsters during a “Yahoo Party.”
The anti-graft agency also arrested a groom-to-be and his friends who were at one of the clubs for a bachelor’s eve, confiscated mobile phones and seized vehicles belonging to those arrested.
The youths who brandished placards with various inscriptions converged at the Alagbaka Roundabout of the ancient city and moved around the major streets of the state capital to register their displeasure over the raid.
Oluwaseun Ogunmola, who spoke with journalists during the protest, said the anti-graft agency’s raid was in defiance of its ban on night operations.
Ogunmola, however, demanded that those arrested but not involved in internet fraud in the Akure clubs be released unconditionally.
Tobi Akinnubi said; “In Nigeria now, youths cannot use phones or laptops, they can’t drive cars because EFCC sees them as fraudsters. Our ladies have been taken away. Have they committed any offence? This is pure 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.”
It was gathered that the state governor, Hon. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, met with nightclub owners in Akure following the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) raid at the weekend.
Owners of nightclubs and hotels affected by the raid gave accounts of how the anti-graft body’s officers vandalised their facilities when they arrested some suspected internet fraudsters in the early hours of Saturday in Akure.
Addressing the club owners at the meeting held at the Government House, Governor Aiyedatiwa sympathised with them over the damages to their facilities and revenue loss.
The governor urged them to compile a record of all their facilities destroyed during the raids so they could use it to present their genuine cases to the necessary authorities.
The governor said that smoke cannot be seen without fire. The EFCC has the mandate to arrest suspects and must have acted on credible intelligence to carry out the raids.
Governor Aiyedatiwa, however, said innocent people affected by the operation should seek redress while those with cases to answer should be allowed to defend themselves.
The governor added that he has been communicating with top security agencies to obtain credible reports on the incident and promised to intervene wherever necessary.
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