The management of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) has strongly criticised what it described as a “Gestapo-style” invasion of its premises by Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), during which 93 people were arrested.
In a statement issued on Sunday in Abeokuta, Ogun State, OOPL Managing Director Vitalis Ortese said more than 50 armed EFCC operatives stormed the library complex at around 2 a.m., firing gunshots and allegedly threatening guests. The raid, he said, was carried out without a warrant or prior notification to the police officers stationed at the facility.
The EFCC operatives, reportedly from the commission’s Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, were said to be conducting a search for suspected internet fraudsters. Eighteen vehicles and multiple mobile devices were seized during the operation. Several attendees sustained injuries while trying to flee, with residents in the vicinity – including former President Olusegun Obasanjo himself – said to have been endangered.
Ortese accused the EFCC of “blatantly violating” the rights of guests and infringing on OOPL’s legal protections as a corporate entity. He stressed that the event in question had been a publicly advertised private gathering, with security support from the Ogun State Police Command’s Kemta Division.
OOPL has launched its own investigation and vowed to escalate the matter to senior authorities, including the EFCC leadership, the police, and the Department of State Services. Management is demanding a formal explanation and public apology, warning that failure to comply will result in legal action.
