New EFCC Chairman Bans Night Sting Operations

Ola Olukoyede, the new chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has banned night raids by the operatives of the agency countrywide.

Dele Oyewale, the head of media and publicity of the EFCC, revealed this in a statement posted via the agency’s X handle late on Wednesday.

The statement read in part, “In line with the newly-reviewed procedures on arrest and bail of suspects by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, the Executive Chairman of the Commission, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, has directed that sting operations at night time be stopped in all the Commands of the EFCC.”

In the wee hours of Wednesday, some operatives of the agency had stormed Oduduwa Estate, Ile-Ife, Osun State with a large population of students of Obafemi Awolowo University and whisked 69 students suspected to be cyber criminals away.

The institution’s student leadership then led some protesters to the anti-graft zonal headquarters at Iyaganku in Ibadan, Oyo State, to press for the release of the detained students.

EFCC operatives frequently invade residential areas at nights, claiming to be acting on tip-offs to apprehend people suspected to have committed financial crimes.