The Ibadan Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) found themselves in the midst of a violent confrontation during a routine verification exercise.
On October 24, 2023, seven EFCC operatives, tasked with authenticating the address and identity of a surety, Azeez Kazeem Oluwakemi, were attacked and held hostage by staff and students of the Federal College of Forestry in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The operatives were at the college to carry out a standard law enforcement practice—verifying the surety credentials of Oluwakemi, who had stood as a surety for a suspected internet fraudster in the Commission’s custody, Alakinde Khalid Kolawole.
However, their mission took an unexpected and violent turn, as students and staff at the college launched unprovoked attacks against the EFCC team, despite being duly informed about the purpose of their presence.
According to a statement made available to Freelanews by the agency’s Head of Media & Publicity, Dele Oyewale, the situation escalated when the college’s Student Union President and fellow students, along with some staff, confronted the EFCC operatives.
He claimed that they barricaded the college’s main entrance gates with a car believed to belong to one of the lecturers, and the EFCC’s bus was vandalized, while the mob threw stones and dangerous objects at the vehicle.
“The seven hostage operatives were eventually released after the arrival of a rescue team,” he stated.
It is worth noting that the EFCC personnel demonstrated great restraint throughout the ordeal, refraining from the use of force against the hostile attackers. They only fired into the air to disperse the crowd, ensuring that no student or staff member was injured.
“In response to this unprovoked attack, the EFCC wishes to assure the public that we will continue to carry out our duties in line with our mandate, and such attacks against our personnel will no longer be tolerated,” Oyewale said.
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator and a recipient of the D9112 Superstar Icon Award, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
