Angry youths took to the streets of Benin City on Tuesday to protest what they described as the incessant harassment and midnight raids by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The protest, which defied the early morning downpour, caused a major traffic snarl along the ever-busy Ugbowo-Lagos Road, lasting several hours as demonstrators carried placards with messages condemning EFCC’s alleged high-handedness.
Our correspondent gathered that tensions escalated when the protesters vandalised a van reportedly conveying operatives of the Edo State Security Corps (ESSC) at the Isihor axis of the road. The crowd, consisting mainly of young people and students, accused EFCC officials of forcefully entering student hostels around 2 a.m. and arresting occupants indiscriminately, branding them as internet fraudsters.
“We are angry because of EFCC harassment. They raid student hostels at midnight and arrest everyone indiscriminately. This must stop,” one of the protesters said anonymously. “We are calling on Governor Monday Okpebholo and President Bola Tinubu to call them to order.”
The protest underscores rising frustration among youths in the city, particularly students, who say they no longer feel safe in their residences due to frequent and unannounced EFCC operations.
In response to the unrest, the EFCC has intensified security at its Benin zonal office, located on High Court Road. Security operatives were observed mounting checkpoints and conducting rigorous screening of vehicles headed toward the facility.
Efforts to reach William Oseghale, spokesperson of the EFCC Benin Zonal Command, for official comments were unsuccessful, as calls to his mobile phone went unanswered.
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