Armed security operatives have barricaded the entrance to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) office in Ikoyi, Lagos, in anticipation of a nationwide protest set for Friday.
The protest, organized by a group of young people under the banner #ReformEFCC, aims to voice their dissatisfaction with the EFCC’s operational methods.
The protest organizers demand an end to what they describe as indiscriminate arrests, invasive raids on homes and businesses at odd hours, and the profiling of innocent young Nigerians.
The EFCC, in response, issued a warning on Wednesday against participating in the protest. The agency accused the protest organizers of using social media to recruit young Nigerians, including students, to incite unrest against the commission.
“In the last couple of days, the group has been actively campaigning on social media, recruiting impressionable young Nigerians, including students, to take up ‘arms’ against the EFCC,” the commission stated. “This insidious campaign is being promoted as resistance to the operational activities of the commission, especially in respect of the enforcement of laws dealing with cybercrimes.”
The EFCC expressed concern that corrupt elements under investigation or prosecution might exploit the protest to orchestrate a national uprising, threatening the country’s peace and security. The commission stressed that it would not tolerate any breakdown of law and order, particularly around its offices nationwide.
“EFCC, working in concert with sister security agencies, is therefore taking necessary measures to deal with possible threats to the peace and security of Nigeria,” the statement continued. “The commission appeals to parents, guardians, and heads of tertiary institutions to ensure that their wards are not recruited as cannon fodder in a proxy war against the commission by vested corrupt interests.”
The EFCC reiterated that its fight against corruption and cybercrime aims to protect the future of Nigerian youth, warning that further degeneration of Nigeria’s global reputation as a hub for fraudsters would imperil that future.
