Some unidentified youths on Thursday stormed Oyo State Secretariat in Ibadan protesting against alleged extortion and highhandedness of operatives of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The youths, who carried different placards with various inscriptions and a truckload of music-blaring speakers, said EFCC operatives are harassing and extorting them without committing any offence.
They said despite doing their legitimate businesses and not getting involved in internet frauds, EFCC operatives always waylay them, check their phones and even when they found nothing to nail them, they still arrest and extort them.
They called on government to check excesses of EFCC in Oyo State, especially in Ibadan, the state capital.
One of the protesting youths, who simply identified himself as Wale and a resident of Akobo area of the ancient city, said he is an engineer and also sells landed property. He accused EFCC of extortion and illegal arrest.
“We are here because of EFCC, the threat is too much. I live in a room apartment. If I have money, will I be living in a room? Who does like to live large? We are not saying they should not work, but they should work perfectly. I’m an engineer and I sell land. I have a family with two kids.
“They check our phones and even upon finding nothing incriminating, they will still beat us and call us bad luck, bad market for them.
“They invade our houses in the middle of the night without search warrant. They carry our television and other properties and if you talk they will beat you mercilessly. We can’t sleep well again. We don’t even know the real ones among them again.” Wale lamented.
Another protester, Olamide Ayobami said whenever EFCC invade their residence they arrest everybody. He called on government to reform the operation of the anti-graft agency. He condemned what he described as commando-like style of invading their victims home in the midnight.
The protest, which caused traffic gridlock around Secretariat-Agodi axis of Ibadan, left many motorists stranded for hours while others took alternative routes.
The security operatives manning the Secretariat gates shut the entrance gates against the protesting youths upon seeing them from afar coming towards the government official business area.