A Lagos-based businessman, Oladimeji Ogunfolaji has bemoaned the constant raids on his business by the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The businessman, who is the owner of an Ikorodu-based hotel claimed that it was so serious that he contemplated committing suicide after incurring huge debt following the raids on his business facility.
The businessman said that the raids from the anti-graft agency have not only paralyzed his business but also prevented him from servicing a loan that he incurred from an unknown bank.
Ogunfolaju said, “I am expressing my dismay over the EFCC raid that happened at Club Lakers, Ikorodu, on June 3, 2022, which was led by SP Chris Odofin, from Abuja and with a combined team from Ibadan, Oyo.
“During the raid, no fewer than 100 workers and customers were arrested and the raid adversely affected my business.
“The same anti-graft agency raided my business premises sometime in 2020 and the implication of the raid also adversely affected my business. “
“I was still struggling to overcome the challenge and financial losses incurred when the second raid happened in 2022.
“I have lost about N1bn in revenue due to these incessant raids by EFCC and other security operatives. I am in a serious financial crisis and customers no longer place trust in us in terms of their safety, and they stopped coming to the business premises for patronage.
Ogunfolaju called on the President, Bola Tinubu, to curtail the excesses of the EFCC operatives accusing the agency of shielding its operatives despite identifying some of them, who are involved in the raids.
He said, “I applied for N168m loan and was servicing the loan after the first raid on my business when EFCC operatives raided the premises again in 2022. The raid brought colossal damage to my finances and I have not been able to service the loan.
“I am in huge financial debt because the loan I could no longer service has accrued interests and the account I used in running the loan has been in debt and the business is no longer as usual due to low customer patronage.
“I can’t imagine how a reputable anti-graft agency such as EFCC would raid a peaceful business facility and soil the image we have built over the years. I contemplated suicide because the thought of the loan repayment has been affecting me.
“The EFCC did injustice to me and my business and I am hurt. It was a deliberate attack on my business. The operatives arrested barmen, bouncers, chefs, waitresses, and customers, among others and took them to Abuja. I spent millions of naira securing their release and bringing them back to Lagos.”
Spokesperson of the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, said, “Anybody can make insinuations but the question is how factual are they?”
He added; “By our operational practice, there are no operatives of the commission that would break into anybody’s property as our operational modality does not allow that.
“If he feels that any unethical thing has been done, he should petition the commission. If he has his facts, let him petition the commission and whoever he is alleging would be asked to come and state his side of the story. If he writes to us, there is an appropriate unit that would take care of that.”
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