Fidelis David in Akure
Men suspected to be operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have carried out a midnight raid at the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), Ondo State.
THISDAY gathered that the students’ lodges were reportedly invaded at about 2a.m. yesterday while some students have taken to social media, sharing videos and alleging that the men broke into rooms and arrested some students.
Videos circulating on social media showed broken window frames from what is believed to be an attempt at forced entry and a man wearing the EFFC jacket was seen in one of the videos circulating online.
Specifically, one social media user named J. Brandy, wrote: “I thought they said EFCC should not raid at nights again. This hostel (Celebrity Lodge, FUTA) is right behind mine. When will this endemic EFCC (officials) moving like thieves at night!”
However, as of the time of filing this report, the anti-corrupt agency is yet to issue official statement on the incident.
But the Director of Corporate Communication, FUTA, Dr. Adegbenro Adebanjo, has berated the operatives of EFCC for not following due process.
Adebanjo said that “such patently dangerous tactics should not have been employed by the operatives.
“The university expresses strong reservation about the timing and mode of the operation said to have taken place around 2a.m. on Wednesday, February 14, 2024. Reports indicate that the operatives barged in and violently woke sleeping students and treated them most unfairly in the course of the operation.
“Such patently dangerous tactics should not have been employed by the operatives. The process should always follow the due process without causing harm or injuries to anybody physically or psychologically.
“Indeed but for providence something untoward could have happened in the course of the operation carried out in the off campus hostels.”
Adegbenro said the university was in touch with the EFCC to ascertain the identity of those arrested and validate their studentship and also to ensure that innocent FUTA students are not punished for offences they have not committed.
He said: “FUTA abhors all forms of anti-social practices including acts of criminality in all its forms and supports all initiatives to bring perpetrators to face the consequences of their actions within the ambits of the law.
“The university rules and regulations as contained in the Students’ Code of Conduct as stipulated in the University Handbook and Oath of Matriculation, which all students are made to sign, specifically prescribed varying degree of punishment for students who run afoul of the laws governing their studentship or engage in illegal acts or odious behavior. The Handbook will guide the university in the current situation.”
