BREAKING: EFCC confirms arrest of 14 FUTA undergraduates in midnight raid

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has said it arrested 14 undergraduates of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State.

The agency said the arrest was made by EFCC operatives of the Benin Zonal Command.

This was contained in a statement posted on the EFCC’s official X handle.

The agency also confirmed that the undergraduates were arrested alongside 19 others in the early hours of Wednesday, February 14, 2024, for suspected internet crimes.

Some students had taken to social media to share videos of the midnight raid.

The videos show broken window frames from what is believed to be an attempt at forced entry.

The Student Union Government of FUTA confirmed in a statement that the raid took place at 3am on Wednesday.

The union claimed that a female student was molested and some students sustained bodily injuries.

However, the EFCC said the raid was a response to calls to the agency by parents and neighbours around the location.

The statement read, “The suspects were arrested at different residential locations within the Akure metropolis following intelligence on their alleged nefarious activities.

“Specifically, the sting operation that yielded their arrest was a response to strident calls to the EFCC by neighbours and parents around the locations, to save their children from being lured into internet-related activities by the suspects.

“Items recovered at the point of arrest include 10 exotic cars, phones, laptops and one motorbike.

“The suspects would be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.”

The statement did not, however, address the ban on midnight operations by EFCC chairman Ola Olukoyede.

Olukoyede, in November 2023, ordered that sting operations at night be stopped.

Around 70 students of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, were arrested earlier in November 2023, in a midnight raid on off-campus hostels.