Israel Adeleke
A team of seven operatives from the Ibadan Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) were attacked and held hostage by students and staff of the Federal College of Forestry, Idi-shin Estate, Ibadan, Oyo State, on Tuesday, October 24, 2023.
The Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, disclosed this in a statement posted on the EFCC X handle (formerly twitter) on Wednesday.
He said, the operatives were on a routine verification exercise of a surety: Azeez Kazeem Oluwakemi, who stood for a suspected internet fraudster, Alakinde Khalid Kolawole, who was in thier custody.
The statement explained “A surety verification exercise is a standard law enforcement practice for the perfection of bail conditions of a suspect.” which fact occasioned the mission of EFCC’s operatives at the college.
On getting to the campus, the EFCC said for some inscrutable reasons, students and staff of the college went on a frenzy of attacks against the operatives, despite that the college community was duly informed about the mission of the EFCC’s team.
The statement read: “The college’s Student Union President, in concert with his colleagues and some staff of the institution, reportedly ignited violent confrontation with operatives of the EFCC.
Two main entrance gates to the college were barricaded with a car believed to be owned by one of the lecturers of the college.
The bus that conveyed the operatives to the college was vandalized, even, as students and staff of the college threw stones and dangerous objects at the vehicle.
A rescue team that came successfully released the seven operatives held hostage by the riotous crowd.”
The statement further said that operatives of the Commission exercised restraint in the face of the unprovoked attack and refrained from applying any force against the belligerent attackers.
Its claimed that no student or staff of the college was shot, as armed operatives merely fired into the air to disperse the unruly crowd.
The statement however, assured the public that the Commission would continue to perform its duties in line with its mandate, and unprovoked attacks against personnel of the Commission would no longer be tolerated.
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