Why EFCC arrested over 70 OAU students

In the early hours of Wednesday, November 1 2023, operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, reportedly arrested over seventy (70) students of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife in Ibadan State.

The commission’s action has caused an uproar amongst students of the institution, students unions and the general public.

This became even worse as the management of the Obafemi Awolowo University said that there had not been any communication between the anti-graft agency and the institution whatsoever, regarding the arrest.

The institution’s management also said that it was not aware of any allegations of financial crime on any of it’s students and was in fact, still doing its own independent investigation to confirm if all those who were arrested by the commission were it’s students.

However, students who seem to be sure of the identities of those who were arrested are already agitated and had on Wednesday, staged a protest, marching to the Ibadan Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to demand the release of their colleagues.

Several bids to unravel the actual cause of the students arrests have not yielded any positive results even as the Head of Public Affairs, Department of EFCC, Ibadan zonal command, Olumide Egbodofo who was contacted earlier for a comment on the matter simply said an update would be given soon.

“A press statement will be released regarding that soon,” He said.

Val9ja News however, gathered that the arrest of the over 70 students of OAU may be linked to suspicions of internet fraud and other financial crimes on the suspects by the EFCC operatives.

This is as sources who spoke to newsmen on the matter disclosed that the suspects were whisked away by the EFCC who also seized their iPhones, laptops and cars.

“How can you arrest people for owning iPhones, laptops, and cars?” a former student’s union official identified simply as Joy had asked while revealing to newsmen that “The EFCC officials came between 1:40 a.m and 4:00 a.m. and arrested the students who were in their hostels.”

In as much they are grossly displeased, it is not totally alien to Nigerians when they experience such scenarios as it has been a practice by the anti-graft agency amongst other security operatives in Nigeria to arrest young folks without any viable justifications.

In many cases, the security operatives blame their actions usually called “raids” on the surge in internet and financial fraud amongst young people.

Similar incidents were what led to the the End SARS protest in Nigeria in 2020.

Consequently, the nationwide protest by aggrieved youths who said they were tired of constant harassment from security operatives who were attached to the then Special Anti Robbery Squad, SARS, led to the death of several young peaceful protesters at the Lekki till gate in Lagos.

The youths had lamented confrontations by security operatives who would insist on going through their phones to ascertain if they were involved in internet or financial frauds.

Some youths had equally alleged brutality by some operatives of the defunct Special Anti Robbery Squad.

A major achievement from the protest was the nullification of the task force and an order by the then Inspector General of Police, on all police officers not to have any business in the phones of any Nigerian.

Today,the EFCC is perceived as another nightmare by young Nigerians.

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