The management of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife said it was meeting the officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission following the arrest of 69 suspected Internet fraudsters, many of whom are students of the university.
Fifty-eight of the students were later released late Wednesday.
Officials of the EFCC in a midnight raid stormed hostels outside the OAU campus, including Fine Touch and Superb hostels in the Oduduwa Estate, Ile-Ife, broke into rooms, and arrested the students.
The Students’ Union President, Akinremi Ojo, said on Wednesday morning the union had details of “72 students picked up from the hostel with phones and cars taken away.” The president demanded the release of the students while condemning the approach of the arrests.
A former union official, Joy Abiola, told our correspondent that the students were beaten during the arrests.
Abiola said that “the EFCC officials came between 1:40 a.m. and 4:00 a.m.,” saying, “Only students stay in those hostels. How can you arrest people for owning iPhones, laptops, and cars? Some of the students are only tech experts.”
In a video shared with our correspondent by one of the students, several young people said to be students of the hostel were seen being marched into a white Hummer Bus with some security officials hitting them and ordering them to move and enter quickly.
