Students from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, are calling on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to issue a formal apology after the arrest of 69 students during a dawn raid outside campus hostels on Wednesday.
The Students’ Union of OAU has confirmed that those arrested were indeed students of the university.
According to reports, the arrested students were later transported from Ile-Ife to the EFCC’s Zonal Office in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State.
Following a protest by the students, who converged at the zonal office in Iyaganku, Ibadan, on Wednesday, and with the intervention of the university’s management, 58 students were released.
The spokesperson for OAU, Abiodun Olanrewaju, also confirmed 58 students’ release, stating, “The remaining 11 students are still under investigation.”
In a statement jointly signed by the president of the union, Abbas Ojo; Secretary General, Akinboni Opeyemi; and PRO, Omisore Elijah, on Thursday, the students demanded that the EFCC clear the names of their fellow students.
The student unionists emphasized their ongoing efforts to secure the release of the remaining 11 students.
“Furthermore, alongside our demand for the release of our students, the leadership of the union is actively working with legal practitioners to ensure the protection of Great Ife students both on and off campus, guarding against the misguided actions of these law enforcement agencies,” the statement read.
The unionists also requested that the EFCC issue a public statement clearing the names of the unlawfully incarcerated students and retract any unfounded allegations previously disseminated through their media outlets and social media platforms.
Expanding on their demands, the union’s PRO, Omisore, stated, “We not only expect an apology from the EFCC but also a vindication of our students’ names.”
