Tension erupted in Ikorodu as armed operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) stormed a private school in Lagos last Thursday.
According to witnesses, the incident, which occurred specifically on Thursday and Friday, was a horrible experience and an attack on an academic institution that had existed for about 21 years.
Reports claimed that the teachers and students at the Goodwill Private School in Ikorodu were aghast when the EFCC raided the school premises, ordering everyone out in a dramatic and chaotic scene.
However, while information regarding presumed injured individuals has not yet been confirmed, an eyewitness claimed that a female student, overwhelmed by the chaos, started throwing up before being rushed to the hospital.
Furthermore, the report stated that the armed officials blocked the students and staff from taking their belongings, leaving the pupils, including those in primary classes, in distress.
Meanwhile, while addressing newsmen, the school’s vice principal and mathematics teacher, Mr Olalekan Adewale described how the personnel descended on the school like they were “going to war”.
Adewale recounted how terrified he was when the fully armed officials, who were about seven in number, tried to coerce him into signing an unknown document. He explained that the officials pointed guns at him and the students, resulting in the students panicking and seeking shelter.
The Vice Principal added that the EFCC officials seized his phone while he was attempting to record the event and they threatened to take him away if he didn’t comply.
However, in a chat with newsmen on Saturday, EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale defended the operatives’ actions, claiming that the raid was part of an ongoing probe into the institution.
Oyewale countered reports of forceful evacuation of students and staff, explaining that the management was well aware that the property was under investigation and ought not to be occupied by anyone.
The spokesperson further justified the presence of armed EFCC officials, stressing that they were required to be armed while going for any law enforcement operations.
