A Nigerian lawyer based in Gambia has alleged that operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) invaded his properties in Benin City and caused extensive damage.
Christopher Mene, who had returned to Nigeria from Gambia on Thursday, May 16, 2023, ahead of his newborn baby’s naming ceremony, received a distressing call from one of the security guards he had hired to protect the property situated at Number 15 Prince Osagie Street, Igue-Iheya, Benin City.
According to Mene, the call came in at approximately 4 am on Tuesday, May 23, 2023, abruptly awakening him from sleep.
The security guard informed him that a group of about 25 individuals, some of them wearing red jackets bearing the EFCC emblem, had forcefully gained entry into his property around 2 am.
They allegedly broke the padlock on the small gate, proceeded to destroy all the security doors on each flat, as well as the glass and steel doors on the six staircases and multiple inner and panel doors.
Furthermore, Mene claimed that the intruders had forcibly taken all his tenants, along with their vehicles, to the EFCC office.
Mene visited the property later that morning, witnessing the aftermath of the invasion firsthand.
His security guard recounted how the intruders broke into each flat, assaulted and brutalized the occupants, damaged numerous doors, and inflicted severe injuries on one tenant who bled profusely.
Bloodstains were visible from the tenant’s flat to the front gate and on the wall where the tenant had reportedly rested after being thrown to the ground by the invading forces.
According to Mene, the tenants included a medical director, a trader, students from the University of Benin, and other business professionals.
He estimated the cost of replacing the damaged doors to be N4,179,000.00, noting that the figure might increase once the cost of damaged protectors was factored in.
Mene also mentioned that he had received information from some tenants’ relatives alleging that the officials were demanding a payment of N1 million from each tenant for their release.
However, he stated that he couldn’t personally verify this information.
In response, Wilson Uwujaren, the Head of Media and Publicity for the EFCC, explained that the Commission had conducted a sting operation resulting in the arrest of 44 internet fraud suspects at various locations in Benin City.
Upon investigation, 33 of the suspects were found to be implicated in the alleged crime.
Uwujaren promised to confirm whether Mene’s property was affected during the operation.
Uwujaren stressed that it was not the Commission’s standard procedure to forcibly enter properties unless the suspects deliberately attempted to evade arrest.
He expressed skepticism regarding the portrayal of a gestapo-style operation with multiple damaged doors, as no photographic evidence was presented, and the claims of bribery for bail were deemed unusual.
Uwujaren advised any suspects who experienced such demands to file a complaint with the Department of Internal Affairs.
The incident has raised questions about the alleged excessive use of force and possible tribal implications, as several operatives involved in the invasion were reported to have spoken Hausa.
The affected tenants and Mene are now seeking answers and justice regarding the destruction and mistreatment they endured.
