A group, Oodua Youth Coalition (OYC), has asked President Bola Tinubu and Ola Olukayode, the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to call officials of the anti-graft agency to order over their illegal raids.

Tayo Oluyi, president of OYC, made the call in a statement on Thursday condemning the raid on students of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile Ife, by armed men of the EFCC.

Mr Oluyi, who stated that the anti-graft agency acted in an unprofessional manner during the midnight raid in the undergraduate hostel in OAU, said the action of the operatives was a reminiscence of the nationwide #EndSARS protest, which brought the nation to a standstill.

“We call on the president of the Federal Republic Of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the new EFCC chairman, Mr Ola Olukayode, to call to order men of the EFCC who choose to discharge their duties in ways that are in total contrast with the professional conduct of the agency as EndSARS is still very fresh in the memory of Nigeria youths,” the statement obtained by Peoples Gazette in Akure partly read.

In the wee hours of Wednesday, officials of the EFCC arrested sixty-nine undergraduate students of the school and labelled them internet fraudsters (Yahoo Boys). They also seized their mobile phones and laptops before profiling them at the commission’s zonal office in Ibadan, Oyo’s capital city.

The anti-graft agency claimed the students were raided at Oduduwa Estate area of Ile Ife following “actionable intelligence” on their suspected involvement in fraudulent internet-related activities. However, the students had been released on bail following criticism from netizens that greeted the midnight raid.

Mr Oluyi said even though his group condemns youth’s involvement in internet fraud, it frowned at the attempt by the EFCC to impede Nigerians’ rights.

He noted that the group was aware that some of the students were “freelancers and remote workers who sell their skills in exchange for cash rewards online.”

He, however, added that it would be “archaic” to think owning a laptop is tantamount to being an internet fraudster, stressing that parading the students with their name list is a violation of law and an abuse of power by the anti-graft agency.

“It is trite that he who asserts must prove; the onus of proof in this case lies with the operatives of the EFCC who labelled and paraded the 69 students of Obafemi Awolowo University as internet fraudsters, while a court of competent jurisdiction rules until proven by the pronouncement of a trial court, the students remain suspects with their rights as citizens of Nigeria is intact.

“It was also brought to our notice that the members of the anti-graft agency have allegedly turned what they tagged as a ‘raid on criminals’ an avenue for extortion as money and valuables were collected from the arrested students, if this is confirmed to be true, it will speak to the motive behind the raid,” Mr Oluyi added.

Meanwhile, the raid on the students’ hostel resulted in the ban of “sting operations at night” by officers in all EFCC commands across the country.