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Wants Edo EFCC boss transferred
From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
A group on the platform of Business and Hoteliers Stakeholders Forum (BHSF) on Wednesday said that they have lost billions of naira due to the indiscriminate arrest of suspected internet fraudsters in their facilities by the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Edo State command.
Chairman of the association, Mr Omogiade Edokpolor, disclosed this while raising concerns about the operations of the anti-graft agency in the state.
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Edokpolor, who said that the association is not against the EFCC doing its job, said that the management of the facilities they are raiding should be notified so that they can have their operations done smoothly.
He said the way and manner in which the agency storms their facilities without a search warrant to raid the suspected internet fraudsters has a way of striking fear and panic into the minds of other guests who have come to use their facilities.
The chairman of the association alleged that 93 suspected internet fraudsters were cracked down on by the agency in the various hotels in the state on Sunday and have not been released, nor were they allowed to gain access to their lawyers.
He said the constant raiding of their facilities has forced the youths who hitherto patronised their facilities to leave the state for neighbouring states.
He said they have carried out further findings to know if the EFCC operates in other states in the same manner as they do in Edo State but to their greatest amazement, they don’t.
He said, consequent upon the incessant raids on their facilities, they have resolved thus: “EFCC should release the 93 illegal Edo youths that have been detained in an unknown destination at this point.
“That, should there be any sort of arrest that the EFCC has decided to do in any of our businesses in our Edo state, they should come with a legal warrant and carry the management of that facility along with their warrant and the purpose of their being there.
“And I guarantee you the members of this organisation will cooperate with them to the fullest.
“And we are ready to partner with them to crack down any illegal or any suspect that they have a warrant to arrest. It is our duty to be law abiding. We are nobles of the society. As you know, the owners of businesses are the most silent and the most law-abiding citizens in this state.
“That we are calling on the EFCC National Chairman with immediate effect, to transfer this current EFCC zonal Commander in Edo state who has been part of this illegal crackdown of our youth without any legal reason because we are not happy.
“You barely see business owners like us coming out en masse to kick against any act of the government agency but the Benins say when you push a goat to the wall it can possibly react like a lion.”
Reacting to the allegations, the agency spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, said that the EFCC carries out its operations within the ambit of the law and has not run contrary to it.
He said the association is not in a position to tell them how they are to carry out their operations, adding that before they carry out their operations, thorough investigations are usually done.
On the transfer of the zonal commander of the agency, Oyewale said the association has no power to call for his transfer.
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