A closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage captured the moment when the operatives forcibly entered a hotel room and physically assaulted a woman, who was wearing a nightgown, slapping her repeatedly.
Law firm Deji Adeyanju and partners has issued a statement decrying the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission's (EFCC) alleged blatant disregard for human rights, accusing the agency of perpetrating gross abuses.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by Deji Adeyanju and partners on Friday, June 28, 2024.
On Thursday, a footage surfaced showing some EFCC operatives assaulting guests and employees at the Annex and Regional hotels in Lagos.
A closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage captured the moment when the operatives forcibly entered a hotel room and physically assaulted a woman, who was wearing a nightgown, slapping her repeatedly.
The operatives didn't know that CCTV was in the room, as the five personnel ransacked the room after driving the young woman out of the room.
The incident raised concerns about the use of excessive force by the EFCC operatives.
EFCC operatives were also seen firing their weapons indiscriminately on the hotel premises, terrorising the hotel guests.
The agency later arrested two officers of the commission allegedly involved in the manhandling of a female staff member of the Regional Hotel in Lagos.
The statement reads, “We have observed with great concern, the increasing disregard for citizens’ human rights and the adoption of commando style investigation and arrest methods by officers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the latest being the unconscionable assault of a staff of Regional Hotel, Lagos, by officers of the EFCC, in the cause of the Commission’s ‘sting operation’.”
The statement also noted the allegations of force levelled against officials of the commission following a “sting operation” at a night club in Akure.
“While we recognise the Commission’s powers to investigate all economic crimes, including cybercrimes that has become a menace in our country, we, however, urge the Commission to adopt more intelligence based techniques in its investigation and arrest of alleged cybercrime offenders,” it said.
Deji Adeyanju and partners cautioned that innocent individuals may be inadvertently harmed or caught in the middle of the situation, emphasising the potential risks and consequences of the EFCC's actions.
“The frequent midnight raid of hotels and other places of entertainment does not only adversely affect these businesses, who may be innocent, but also increases the possibility of innocent persons being caught in the cross fire,” it said.
It was also noted that citizens’ right to freedom of movement and residence should not be denied as it is guaranteed by the constitution.
“More importantly, citizens right to freedom of movement and residence is constitutionally guaranteed, and same should not be breached in the guise of midnight ‘sting operations’ which the current chairman of EFCC had earlier banned.
“While we commend the EFCC’s chairman for the immediate arrest of the officers that assaulted the Regional Hotel staff, we, however, urge the Commission to be careful not to create a wave of citizens’ dissatisfaction against its operations, like the type that led to the EndSARS protest.” the statement reads.
The 2020 #EndSARS protests were organised to call for the disbandment of a police unit – Special Anti-Robbery Squad – notorious for extrajudicial killings and human rights violations.
The EFCC also recently conducted a raid on two nightclubs in Akure, Ondo State, arresting 127 individuals suspected of internet fraud.
Its personnel were accused of destroying the club and the rooms in the hotels. They were also accused of forcefully breaking into the rooms and destroying CCTV and other equipment in the process.