Despite an existing directive prohibiting night sting operations, operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have reportedly continued such activities, conducting a series of early-morning raids in Suleja, Niger State, over several days.
According to findings by SaharaReporters, EFCC officials carried out operations in the APC Quarters area of Suleja beginning last Wednesday. The raids reportedly occurred around 3 a.m., with CCTV footage showing two Coaster buses used during the operations.
Residents who spoke to SaharaReporters on condition of anonymity described the raids as indiscriminate and forceful, alleging that operatives broke into homes and made arbitrary arrests under the pretext of tracking internet fraudsters, commonly known as Yahoo boys.
“The EFCC personnel do not just come; they break into homes and cart away any property they see in the homes of their suspects,” one resident said.
Another resident claimed that innocent persons were detained without cause.
“A man was arrested and kept in their custody for four days before being released. He was not even guilty of their claims,” the source added.
Some residents said they had temporarily left the area out of fear.
“The issue is not even their invasion, which they wrongly do in the middle of the night; the issue again is that people’s houses are burgled. They do not knock on your doors — they break into them, and it’s scary,” another resident recounted.
The latest allegations come nearly a year after EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede officially banned all night raids across the commission’s commands. The directive, issued in November 2023, followed public outrage over a controversial midnight operation in Ile-Ife, where EFCC agents arrested 69 students of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU).
At the time, the commission stated on its website:
“In line with the newly revised procedures on arrest and bail of suspects, the Executive Chairman, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, has directed that sting operations at night time be stopped in all Commands of the EFCC.”
However, similar reports have since emerged. In February 2024, alleged EFCC operatives were accused of conducting a midnight operation at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), breaking into student hostels around 2 a.m.
As of press time, the EFCC has not issued a statement regarding the alleged Suleja operations.
