May 30, 2023

The operatives of the Lagos Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, were on Tuesday morning denied entry into their office on No. 15 Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, by agents of the Department of State Services, DSS, who had barricaded the entrance.

In a statement by the EFCC on Tuesday, the agency said, “this development is strange to the Commission given that we have cohabited with the DSS in that facility for 20 years without incident.

By denying operatives access to their offices, the Commission’s operations at its largest hub with over 500 personnel, hundreds of exhibits, and many suspects in detention have been disrupted.

Cases scheduled for court hearing today have been aborted, while many suspects who had been invited for questioning are left unattended.

Even more alarming is that suspects in detention are left without care with grave implications for their rights as inmates.

All of these have wider implications for the nation’s fight against economic and financial crimes.

The siege is inconsistent with the synergy expected of agencies working for the same government and nation, especially when there are ongoing discussions on the matter.