Nelson Ugwuagbo

Gunshots rented the air at the office of Economic Financial Crime Commission(EFCC), Ibadan, Oyo State, on Wednesday after students of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) stormed the office in protest against the arrest of 70 of their colleagues.

Leading Reporters reported that operatives of the EFCC had stormed two hostels situated at Oduduwa estate in Ile-Ife around 1AM on Wednesday and arrested the students.

Following this, scores of OAU students mobilised to the office of EFCC located at 16, Rev Oyebode Crescent Iyaganku, G.R.A, in Ibadan to demand the release of their colleagues.

The students were seen carrying placards with several inscriptions, including “My security as a student should be a priority”; “EFCC stop illegal activities”; “We are students not a criminal”; “FreeOAUstudents,” among others.

The students chanted anti-government songs and also demanded for the immediate release of their colleagues unconditionally.

However, while the students were protesting, masked operatives of EFCC started shooting into the air to scare the protesters away.

The Chairman of the National Association of University Students, Osun Campus committee, Yinka Popoola, told journalists:, “they were shooting sporadically in the air to scare us away. It is a show of shame. They did the same a few days ago at the College of Forestry. We are demanding for unconditional release of all the students that were arrested.”

The Ondo State Security Network Agency, also known as Amotekun Corps, on Wednesday, disclosed that no fewer than 20 commercial motorcyclists, also known as okada riders, had been robbed and killed in the last three weeks across the state.

The corps, which reiterated its determination to reduce all criminal activities to the barest minimum, also disclosed that it had begun 24-hour patrol to ensure adequate protection of lives and property before, during, and after the Christmas season.

The state Commander of the corps,  Adetunji Adeleye, stated this in Akure on Wednesday during the parade of 11 suspects arrested for various crimes.

Adeleye, who is also the Special Adviser to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu on Security Matters, stressed that the state government’s ban on commercial motorcycles from 6pm to 6am subsists but would not affect motorcycles on essential duties.

He said, “A total of 20 cases of commercial motorcyclists killed and their motorcycles stolen was recorded in the last three weeks, so it was risky to ride motorcycles at night.

“We want to appeal to commercial motorcyclists to go and rest if they work for 12 hours so that we can identify the criminal entities. It is also no longer permitted for vehicles to ply the road without registration numbers, and all vehicles with tinted glass should obtain police permits for them.

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“Dealers should use dealer numbers and not stickers because all vehicles with stickers  will be impounded. These are some measures we put in place to guarantee safety of lives and properties in Ondo State.”

Adeleye explained that six of the suspects, who were paraded, were arrested with locally-made weapons as they were allegedly preparing to “destabilise innocent residents and commuters in Ondo State.”

On the 24-hour ember months patrol, Adeleye said his men would be deployed in all blackspots that had been observed across the state, especially Akure.

“Our patrol vehicles will be on a 24-hour basis throughout this period. In collaboration with other security agencies, we are determined to reduce to the barest minimum all acts of criminal activities ranging from kidnapping shop or housebreaking.

“You will recall that last year, we were able to rescue over 100 kidnapped or robbed people, but for this year’s patrol, we are ready to do more and we thank the people and ask for more support this year,” he pledged.

Over 70 students of Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife Osun State were reportedly arrested by officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in a midnight raid on hostels outside the campus.

Multiple sources in Ile-Ife confirmed to our correspondent on Wednesday morning that the officials, around 2 a.m., stormed the Fine Touch and Superb hostels in Oduduwa Estate, Ile-Ife, broke into rooms, and arrested the students.

Reasons for the arrest have not been confirmed as of press time, but the Students’ Union President, Abass Ojo, said the union had details of “72 students picked up from the hostel with phones and cars taken away.”

A former union official, Joy Abiola, told our correspondent that the students were beaten.

“The EFCC officials came between 1:40 a.m and 4:00 a.m. Only students stay in those hostels,” Joy said, adding, “How can you arrest people for owning iPhones, laptops, and cars?”

Another student, identified simply as Ewatee, said, “Female students were among those picked up. Even some fresh students who just went to greet their senior colleagues were arrested. The approach is wrong.”

In a video shared with our correspondent, taken by one of the students, several young persons said to be students of the hostel were seen being marched into a white Hummer Bus with some security officials hitting them and ordering them to move and enter quickly.

In another video, about six vehicles were seen alongside the white Hummer Bus on the move. Students said the officials were leaving the Ile-Ife area and heading to Ibadan.

Contacted, the head of Public Affairs Department of the EFCC, Ibadan Zonal Command, Olumide Egbodofo, said an update would be given on the incident.

“A press statement will be released regarding that soon,” the spokesperson added.

Also, the phone line of the university’s spokesperson, Abiodun Olarewaju, was unreachable as of press time.

Two of the rescued women are underage girls, according to a government official.

The Anambra State Government has rescued 20 women, including two underage girls, who were tricked into prostitution in the state.

Chidinma Ikeanyionwu, a media aide to the Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare in the state, Ify Obinabo, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.

Ms Ikeanyionwu said the victims, aged between 15 and 25 years old, were rescued from a hotel also used as a brothel in Oba, a community in Idemili South Local Government Area of the state.

The media aide said the rescue took place when police operatives in the state in collaboration with officials of the ministry raided the brothel in response to a tip-off by a resident of the community.

“Two amongst the rescued girls are underage and the commissioner has already taken them to hospital for medical examination and possible treatment,” Ms Ikeanyionwu said.

“Before embarking on the raid, investigation was carried out by the ministry and it was discovered that the management of the hotel by name, Top Ten Hotels, Oba, trafficked girls from all parts of the country for prostitution purposes,” she added.

Some of the rescued girls, according to the statement, said they were separately taken to the hotel either by a friend or relative on the pretext of securing a hotel job for them, but would later realise they were trafficked for prostitution.

The victims said the persons who took them to the brothel seized their phones and other belongings before handing them over to another woman who informed them they would only be released if they brought a certain amount of money to her or worked as prostitutes for her for a period of one year.

The rescued girls also said they usually made between N4,000 and N10,000 from prostitution during weekdays and between N15, 000 and N30,000 during weekends, but their “direct bosses” often took away the money from them.

Also, the owner of the hotel, identified as Amaechi Etiokwu, usually came to collect his own pay too, they said.

The victims said they usually had sexual intercourse with about 10 men daily in order to meet up with their financial obligations to their bosses or risk being beaten by them, adding that they only got N500 once in a day for feeding and that security men at the facility often helped to buy food for them.

They said they also paid a daily rent fee of N3,500 from the proceeds of the prostitution.

Speaking shortly after the raid, the Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare in Anambra State, Mrs Obinabo, commended the police in the state for helping to rescue the girls, Ms Ikeanyionwu said.

The commissioner lamented that some people were still engaging in trafficking despite the state government’s efforts to stop the act, but assured that the suspects involved in the alleged trafficking would be prosecuted.

She restated the government’s commitment to end all forms of child kidnapping, trafficking and sex slavery in the state, and urged residents of the state to report any suspicious activity within their neighbourhood for immediate action.

The suspects had been arrested by the police and would be arraigned before the Children, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Magistrate Court in Awka, according to the statement.

The statement, however, did not identify the arrested suspects.

Nigeria, in 2015, enacted the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act which outlawed all acts of human trafficking in the country.

The Act prescribes a minimum penalty of five years imprisonment and a fine of N1 million for trafficking relating to sex and labour exploitation.

Several persons have been convicted for trafficking across the country.

A Federal High Court in Benin, Edo State, in 2018, sentenced 49-year-old Ehie Ehirobo to three years imprisonment for human trafficking. Mrs Ehirobo was convicted for procuring persons for prostitution, among others.

A Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, in 2019, sentenced three persons to seven- and five-years’ imprisonment for human trafficking.

The police said Ihunwo led the youths “with intent to commit a felony” at the Speaker’s residence.

The Rivers State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of the state chapter Chairman of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, Chijioke Ihunwo over attack on the residence of the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Martins Amaewhule, on Tuesday.

Confirming the arrest in a press statement, on Wednesday, police spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko, said the chairman was arrested alongside 122 other youths who have been moved to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Port Harcourt, the state capital, for further investigation.

The police said Ihunwo led the youths “with intent to commit a felony” and storm the Speaker’s residence “located at Forces Avenue, Old GRA, Port Harcourt, where they forcefully gained entrance into the Speaker’s Residence and maliciously damaged the gate of the house”.

“While they were carrying out their nefarious activities at the scene, a distress call was received by the control room of the command, tactical teams were immediately deployed to the scene, where one hundred and twenty-two (122) suspects, including the said Amb. Chijioke Ihunwo were arrested and taken to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Port Harcourt, for a discrete investigation.

“Meanwhile, the command has emplaced adequate security at the State House of Assembly Complex, including the Speaker’s House and other strategic locations/infrastructure in the state to forestall any ugly incident.”