The Economic and Financial Crimes, EFCC, has described the raid and invasion of their office as shocking. This was disclosed by the commission through the Head of media and publicity in reaction to the early Monday morning incident.
The Department of State Services, DSS, had blocked the entrance with armored personnel carriers when the members of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, arrived at their office on No. 15 Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, in the early hours of Monday, May 30, 2023.
Mr Wilson Uwujaren narrated that the two agencies had coexisted peacefully for two decades and the commission was taken aback at the unfortunate incident which crippled the activities of over 500 members of staff of the financial crimes agency by being denied entry. He added that hundreds of exhibits and a large number of detained suspects with ongoing investigations were hampered by the incident.
He, therefore, expressed concerns about the negative effect of the siege on several high-profile financial crimes cases ongoing in the facility as cases of suspects held without treatment have dire consequences.
“The operatives of the Lagos Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, arrived at their office on No. 15 Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, this morning, May 30, 2023, to be denied entry by agents of the Department of State Services, DSS, who had barricaded the entrance with armored personnel carriers. This development is strange to the Commission given that we have cohabited with the DSS in that facility for 20 years without incident.
“By denying operatives access to their offices, the Commission’s operations at its largest hub with over 500 personnel, hundreds of exhibits, and many suspects in detention have been disrupted. Cases scheduled for a court hearing today have been aborted, while many suspects who had been invited for questioning are left unattended.
“Even more alarming is that suspects in detention are left without care with grave implications for their rights as inmates. All of these have wider implications for the nation’s fight against economic and financial crimes. The siege is inconsistent with the synergy expected of agencies working for the same government and nation, especially when there are ongoing discussions on the matter,” the statement read.
