EFCC Defies Chairman’s Ban On Night Raids, Storms Suleja At 3 A.M., Breaks Into Homes, Arrests Residents

Despite a standing order by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, prohibiting night sting operations across Nigeria, operatives of the anti-graft agency have once again flouted the directive.

Investigations by SaharaReporters revealed that EFCC personnel carried out midnight raids in the APC Quarters of Suleja, Niger State, over several consecutive days last week. CCTV footage obtained confirmed that at least two Coaster buses were deployed, with raids taking place around 3 a.m.

Residents described the operation as a “reign of terror,” alleging that officials broke into homes, seized properties indiscriminately, and arrested people without justification.

> “The EFCC personnel do not just come; they break into homes and cart away anything they see in the houses of their suspects,” one resident said.

Another victim recounted how an innocent man was arrested and detained for four days before being released. Several residents have reportedly fled the community for fear of further harassment.

> “It’s not just the invasion—it’s the horror of having your doors broken in the dead of night, being accused wrongly, tortured, and later told you are innocent. It is terrifying,” another resident lamented.

This brazen violation comes less than a year after public outrage forced the EFCC to ban nocturnal operations. In November 2023, Olukoyede had announced the ban following a controversial raid in Ile-Ife, where 69 Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) students were bundled into buses during a 2 a.m. hostel sweep. Videos of the operation, showing students being manhandled and herded into vehicles, triggered nationwide condemnation.

But the Suleja raid is not an isolated case. In February 2024, suspected EFCC operatives also stormed student lodges at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), in a midnight operation that sparked social media outrage.

The recurring pattern raises fresh concerns about the EFCC’s disregard for human rights, institutional discipline, and the authority of its chairman. Critics warn that if left unchecked, the commission risks losing public trust and credibility in the fight against corruption and cybercrime