Student Lodges Raided: Calls Mount for Probe into Alleged Brutality by EFCC Officials in Akwa Ibom Campus Raid [VIDEO]

 

Officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have been publicly accused of serious misconduct during a late-night operation at the Akwa Ibom State University (AKSU) Obio-Akpa campus, where young men were allegedly raided, beaten and extorted in situations the complainant describes as illegal and heavy-handed.

A video shared online by one Mr. Akanimo Nseobon shows what appears to be uniformed operatives wielding weapons and hitting a group of young men who, according to the narration, did not resist arrest. The raid took place on the night of October 23, 2025. According to Nseobon’s commentary, the incident occurred inside a student lodge near the university campus as the EFCC operatives set out to apprehend suspected internet fraudsters.

In the video footage, several victims appear seated or standing in a lodge corridor, while the officers smash doors and direct threats at the young men. No visible resistance is evident. Nseobon raises alarm: “Why are EFCC officers in Akwa Ibom State breaking into student lodges at night? Why must they beat students during arrests? Why can they not carry out proper, legal arrests if they truly have evidence?”

Nseobon further appeals directly to the state government under Umo Eno, the Nigeria Police Force and the EFCC headquarters to urgently investigate what he describes as “illegal operations currently being carried out by some officers within the EFCC and Police Force in Akwa Ibom State.” He recounts his own experience in 2024 when he says he and his friends were arrested from their lodge late at night, taken to the state police headquarters, threatened with framing for robbery or cultism, and extorted of money before being dropped off in the early hours.

Eyewitness commentary and videographic evidence point to multiple alleged violations: arrests without warrant, unprovoked beatings, forced extortions, midnight raids targeting students, and a climate of fear among young men in Uyo and environs. The student-dominated areas are said to have become regular targets of checks and operations, many of them undocumented or unaccompanied by formal arrest procedures.

While the EFCC has a history of conducting cyber-fraud raids in Akwa Ibom State and beyond—for instance documenting the arrest of 19 undergraduates of AKSU for internet-related offences at their hostels in 2023 and more recent operations in 2025. The current complaint centres not on the legitimacy of the target but the methods of enforcement. Some students and civic voices are now asking if the actions of the enforcement agents themselves might be infringing rights, rather than solely fighting crime.

Critics argue that even in legitimate operations, adherence to due process is non-negotiable. Among key concerns: whether warrants were obtained, whether arrests were conducted with respect to rights of detainees, whether force used was proportional and justified, and whether students were given access to legal representation or formal documentation of arrest. The video clip raises uncomfortable questions about the line between enforcement and abuse of power.

According to Nseobon: “We should not live in fear of the very people meant to protect us. Yet our justice system has failed us … So many young people are leaving this state and even this country because they fear becoming the next victim of these robbers in uniform.” These comments echo broader concerns that student and youth populations in Akwa Ibom are being disproportionately harassed under the guise of anti-fraud operations.

In response, stakeholders say the state government, the Nigeria Police Force and the EFCC must investigate promptly, publish findings, hold accountable those who transgress, and safeguard the rights of the innocent. Meanwhile, students at AKSU and other tertiary institutions in the state are calling for clarity: Are the operations targeted, transparent and legal — or are they devolving into raids and extortion?

As this story unfolds, one crucial question remains unanswered: will the accused enforcement agents be scrutinised as rigorously as the suspects they arrest? The legitimacy of law-enforcement operations depends not only on outcomes but also on methods. For now, the young men who claim they were beaten, humiliated and extorted await justice and answers.

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