The leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students, Joint Campus Committee, Osun Axis, has accused operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission from the Ibadan Zonal Office of abducting some students of the Federal Polytechnic Ede, Osun State during a midnight raid on their hostels.
A release co-signed on behalf of the student body by Taiwo Ogungbe and Faruq Afolabi, the Chairman and General Secretary, NANS JCC Osun Axis respectively, obtained in Osogbo, had claimed that some EFCC operatives during a night raid arrested an unspecified number of students and whisked them to Ibadan, Oyo State.
The student group which condemned the act and demanded immediate release of all those arrested, warned that failure to accede to its demand would compel NANS to move against the agency.
It further read, “The leadership of NANS JCC Osun Axis, in the utmost display of solidarity, denounces the reprehensible actions of EFCC officers who abducted our students in Ede overnight.
“Despite televised broadcasts and press releases from the EFCC chairman assuring no-night raids by the agency, students and Nigerians remained sceptical, given the EFCC’s track record. Regrettably, less than a month later, individuals in the EFCC uniforms raided another school at night.
To date, these kidnappers have not been brought to justice by the EFCC officials.
“Once again, overnight, the EFCC operatives abducted our students in Ede and transferred them to their Zonal headquarters in Ibadan, where innocent Nigerians are often subjected to punishment. We unequivocally condemn this act and demand the immediate release of all our students. Failure to do so will compel students to take actions that the agency may not like.
“It is particularly distressing that these students are currently undergoing exams, undoubtedly affected psychologically by the trauma they are experiencing. As law-abiding Nigerians, we urge President Bola Tinubu to intervene and ensure the prompt release of our students.”
Meanwhile, the management of the Federal Polytechnic, Ede, on Thursday, said the identities of those students reportedly arrested could not be immediately ascertained, but confirmed that the raid was carried out on hostels in the Owode-Ede area.
A release by the management, signed by the school’s Public Relations Officer, Sola Lawal, however, said the institution had yet to receive any correspondence from the EFCC to either confirm or deny the said arrest and the involvement of its students.
“The attention of the Management of Federal Polytechnic, Ede, Osun State has been drawn to a purported arrest of students of the institution by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission which has gone viral on social media platforms.
“It is, therefore, imperative to intimate the general public that the said raid was carried out at Owode-Ede and we have yet to ascertain the identities of those alleged to have been apprehended by the security agency. Also, we have yet to receive any correspondence from the EFCC to either confirm or deny the said arrest and the involvement of our students.
“To this end, we hereby urge the polytechnic community and the general public to remain calm as the management will appropriately keep them informed on further developments,” the statement partly read.
The EFCC had on Wednesday, November 1, 2023, arrested 72 students of the Obafemi Awolowo University, following a midnight raid of some hostels close to the university campus.
Fifty-eight of those arrested were however released the same day after a preliminary investigation established that they were innocent of the allegation of fraud.
