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| Former Governor, Ministers, and Others Sponsoring Protests Against Us – EFCC |
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has revealed that intelligence reports indicate a former governor and two former ministers are behind a series of protests being organized against the agency.
The anti-corruption body also urged parents and guardians to discourage their children from participating in protests about issues they do not fully understand. Additionally, the EFCC called on institutional heads to ensure their students do not join these protests.
Dele Oyewale, the EFCC spokesperson, made this statement at the Force Headquarters in Abuja during a press briefing organized by the Strategic Communications Inter-agency Policy Committee (SCIPC) from the Office of the National Security Adviser.
Responding to an inquiry from Daily Trust about the alarm raised on Wednesday, Oyewale emphasized that the EFCC would continue its work regardless of opposition.
On Wednesday, the EFCC had alerted Nigerians about a plan by what it described as a “shadowy group” to instigate protests against the commission. The agency stated it was collaborating with other security agencies to address potential threats to Nigeria's peace and security¹.
Oyewale explained that the protests were being driven by individuals affected by the EFCC's activities, referring to them as “looters of the commonwealth.”
He added, “Generally and holistically, all of these people talking about ‘end EFCC, don’t end EFCC, kill EFCC, don’t kill EFCC’ are those tangentially affected by the commission's activities.
“If you have a commission like the EFCC and you are not receiving some kind of attack, it either means we are not effective or the public is not concerned about what we are doing.
“So, we know that our activities are affecting people who have something to hide, and it’s natural for them to want to fight us.
“That’s why we came out publicly to say that the planned protests are not what they seem. We have a responsibility to inform the public.”
