Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has commended the leadership of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for swiftly responding to concerns over the arrest of some students of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU).
In the early hours of Wednesday, November 1, 2023, EFCC operatives, in a Gestapo style, stormed an off-campus hostel of the institution at Oduduwa Estate in Ile-Ife, rounding up about 70 students and subsequently publishing their names for fraud allegations.
This development left many Nigerians incensed, leading to wide condemnation of the commission and demand for the immediate release of the arrested students.
Following the outrage, the anti-graft agency released 58 out of the arrested students on Thursday and vowed to press charges against the rest for alleged involvement in fraudulent internet-related activities.
For his part, Adeleke appreciated the move by the EFCC to release the students and also called for an expedited due process in the handling of the matter.
This is contained in a statement by the governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, on Thursday.
He also lauded the commission’s leadership for swiftly amending the EFCC operational code to prohibit night sting operations, among other measures.
The governor stressed that the commitment to preserve suspects’ human rights also marked a noticeable turning point for the anti-graft body while calling for strict adherence to the new regulations.
“As I tweeted yesterday, my Attorney General is following up with the case of arrested students.
“Our government seeks respect for their fundamental human rights of the students and expedited processing of the matter,” Adeleke said.
Recall in the wake of the incident, the new Chairman of the EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, announced a ban on night sting operations in all the commands of the commission.
