Metro
How EFCC Officials Allegedly Tortured Lagos Clubgoers, Forced Out Naked Couple
Customers and workers at the Lakers Lounge Hotel and Bar, Ikorodu, Lagos State, have accused officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of subjecting them to torture during a raid on the facility.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the workers were attending to customers at the club when the armed officials invaded the premises around 11.30pm on Friday, June 3.
The officials, who were said to have presented no warrant, also allegedly removed the closed-circuit television in the course of the operation.
They allegedly ordered customers and workers to lie on the floor and beat up those who protested against the raid.
A customer, Oladapo Ogunyinka, said the EFCC officials seized peoples’ phones, adding that he had yet to recover his seized property.
He said, “I left Ikeja with two guests to have fun at the club. We were upstairs when the EFCC operatives invaded the premises with guns and sticks. One of them, Olumide, approached our direction with a gun, seized my iPhone PRO Max 13 and Samsung Galaxy A22 valued at N900,000 and ordered us to go down.
“When we got down, the operatives told us to lie down flat. Immediately, the official that seized my phones started doing a video record. The officials went to the hotel attached to the club, broke the doors and brought lodgers outside. There was a particular couple that came out; the man was wearing only boxers, and the lady, a pair of pants and a bra.
“There was a lady that started convulsing due to the shock of the incident and one of the officers still beat her with a stick and said she was pretending. They treated people like animals; if I am lying, they have the CCTV footage with them, they should play it.
“They tied us in pairs of two; I explained to one of the operatives that I was a realtor that just came to the club to have fun and he informed the officer that led the operation from Ibadan, Chris Odofin, and I was untied. But they did not release my phones.”
Ogunyinka said the operatives instructed him to visit the EFCC office at Ibadan, Oyo State, to ask for one Momoh to claim his phones, adding that despite visiting the office, he had yet to retrieve his property.
“I had nothing incriminating on my phones, so I visited their office, asked for Momoh, who took me to where the seized phones were kept, but I didn’t see my phones. I became angry and started shouting and luckily, I was able to identify the person that seized my phones and Momoh also saw the officer.
“So, their boss had to intervene and told Momoh to call the officer. Their boss, who is a woman, gave them 72 hours to produce my phones, but till date, they have yet to produce them. It is surprising that I gave my phones to an EFCC official and he stole my phones instead of tendering them as exhibits.
“The incident was a nightmare. They harassed customers and workers at the club and didn’t even interview most people. I explained everything to their boss in Ibadan and she was just apologising,” he added.
The Human Resources Manager at the club, Ajoke Quadri, said the EFCC officials presented no warrant, adding that business activities at the club had been paralysed after the raid.
READ ALSO: EFCC Arraigns Company Executive Over €349,000 Fraud
She said, “The EFCC officials destroyed the club’s property; they burst my office and the safe where I keep staff documents. They also destroyed the camera room, took all the DVR and hard drive and cut the wires connecting the CCTV.
“We also have a hotel attached to the club. They took the master card from our receptionist, went to the hotel’s rooms and the rooms where the master card wasn’t letting them to gain entry, they broke down the doors, raised the beds up and brought out lodgers.
“About 105 people work with us; but those operatives harassed my staff, including Gloria Nwankwo, and one of my supervisors, among others on duty. We had to rush the supervisor to a hospital as he could not hear properly after the attack.
“They also burst my boss’ office, took away three tablets used to punch in sales; they took two phones we used for receiving company transfer alerts. All staff and customers’ phones were taken; most of my staff had to go to Ibadan to retrieve their phones.
“I had to also go to Ibadan to retrieve some of our property. It was when I got to Ibadan that I was able to assist some of the people, including a nurse that was arrested at De Butler’s club, but had no money to return to Lagos.”
Recall that officials the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency recently raided the club and allegedly brutalised customers and damaged some property.
CCTV installed on the club premises revealed as the NDLEA operatives ordered customers to raise their hands while they searched their pockets, bags and purses one after the other.
As seen in the video clip, customers, who resisted the search, were beaten and forcefully dragged from the club during the raid.
In 2019, men of the Anti-Cultism Unit of the Lagos State Police Command also invaded the club and seized from its customers and workers valuables and cash running into several millions of naira.
The management of the club had sought redress over the incident as the Lagos State Police Command arrested 13 of the 19 police operatives for professional misconduct.
Counsel for the club, Femi Martins, lamented the constant raids on the club by security agents, noting that some rivals were trying to perpetrate unfair actions to run the club out of business.
A rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, said a lot of victims had been wrongly arrested and stigmatised in the guise of searching for Internet fraudsters, adding that those whose rights were violated should seek redress in court.
He said, “EFCC in recent times has become arbitrary in the way its operatives go about the discharge of their functions. There have been several allegations about the highhandedness of the commission in handling cases regarding cybercrime.
“In their attempt to go after the so-called Yahoo boys, they continuously violate the rights of innocent people. It is expected that before such an operation takes place, a proper search warrant would have been obtained to enable the commission to have legal access to the private property of citizens whether it is built for business or residential purposes.
“And a search warrant has to be targeted at a specific property and individual. Before a search warrant is issued under the administration of criminal justice act, there has to be reasonable suspicion.
“In a situation where they just invade premises and pick people indiscriminately, and begin to scout for evidence implicating the people that they have arrested, it is not a lawful way of enforcing the law.”
READ ALSO: N80bn Fraud: EFCC Uncovers 17 Properties Linked To Accountant-General
The spokesperson for the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, had in a statement said the commission arrested 140 suspects in separate sting operations at popular hotels, including Lakers Lounge Hotel and Bar and De Butlers, following credible intelligence on their involvement in internet-related fraud.
“Items recovered from the suspects include exotic cars, electronic devices, laptop computers and mobile phones. The suspects will be charged to court as soon as the investigations are concluded,” the statement said.
Contacted for a follow-up reaction, Uwujaren said, “There is nothing to add to the statement that we issued.”
PUNCH.
Metro
Court Jails Two Ex-bankers For Diverting N10.3m Pension Funds In Enugu
The Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has secured the conviction and sentencing of Sani Endurance Aferokhe and Hillary Odo, two former bankers, for diverting N10.3 million belonging to bank customers.
According to a post on X by the commission on Wednesday the judgment was delivered by Justice A. O. Onovo of the Enugu State High Court sitting in Independence Layout, Enugu.
The case was handled by the EFCC and relates to offences committed while the convicts were staff of Intercontinental Bank Plc, now Access Bank Plc.
Aferokhe and Odo were arraigned on January 18, 2016, on a 15-count charge bordering on conspiracy, forgery, and stealing the fund on a seven count of the charge reads:
READ ALSO:Morocco Jails French Rapper Maes For Kidnapping Bid
“Sani Endurance Aferokhe and Hillary Odo on or about the 21st day of November, 2012 at Nsukka within the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court, while as servants of Intercontinental Bank Plc (now Access Bank Plc), stole the sum of Four Million, Four Hundred and Forty-four Thousand Naira (N4, 440, 000. 00) property of Intercontinental Bank Plc (now Access Bank Plc) from a customer account with account name Udekwu F. A. O with number 00237808311 domiciled in Intercontinental Bank Plc (now Access Bank Plc) and thereby committed an offence”.
Count two of the charge reads:
“Sani Endurance Aferokhe and Hillary Odo on or about the 12th day of October 2012 at Nsukka within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, while as servants of Intercontinental Bank Plc (now Access Bank Plc), stole the sum of Two Million, One Hundred and Thirteen Thousand, Six Hundred and Ten Naira, forty Kobo (N2, 113, 610. 40) property of Intercontinental Bank Plc (now Access Bank Plc) from a customer account with account name Onuora George with account number 0023781315 domiciled in Intercontinental Bank Plc (now Access Bank Plc) and thereby committed an offence.
The offences are contrary to Section 459(a) of the Criminal Code Law, Cap 30 of Enugu State of Nigeria, 2004. The defendants pleaded not guilty, leading to a full trial.
READ ALSO:Nigerian Jailed Six Years In U.S. For Sextortion
During the trial, the EFCC, through its counsel, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, ACE II Michael Ikechukwu Ani, presented five witnesses and tendered several documents as evidence.
In its judgment delivered on Friday, December 22, 2025, the court dismissed counts six and nine.
The second defendant was convicted on counts four and seven, while the first defendant was convicted on counts one, two, three, five, eight, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen.
The court sentenced the second defendant to five years’ imprisonment on counts four and seven, with an option of a N100,000 fine on each count.
The first defendant was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment on each of the counts, except count fifteen, for which he received a three-year sentence, all with an option of a N100,000 fine per count.
The convicts, who are former staff of Access Bank, were found guilty after conspiring to reactivate three dormant customer accounts belonging to pensioners without their consent and diverting the funds for personal use.
Metro
Six Lagosians Arraigned Over Attack On LASTMA Officials
Six suspected miscreants have been arraigned for allegedly masterminding a violent attack on officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, and other collaborating agencies during a midnight enforcement operation along Airport Road, Lagos.
The suspects were brought before the Chief Magistrate of the Lagos State Mobile Court on Tuesday, December 23, 2025, on four separate charges linked to the incident.
The court adjourned the case to February 19, 2026, for further hearing.
While one defendant, who pleaded not guilty, was granted bail, the remaining six suspects were remanded in custody pending the continuation of proceedings.
READ ALSO:Court Remands Four Foreigners Over Alleged Kidnapping, Hostage Taking In Ogun
The enforcement operation, which resulted in the impoundment of 56 vehicles, was carried out to address persistent traffic and environmental violations in the area.
The seized vehicles included 44 commercial buses, five private cars, and seven trucks.
The late-night exercise was personally supervised by the General Manager of LASTMA, Mr Olalekan Bakare-Oki, and conducted jointly with security operatives, the Kick Against Indiscipline, KAI Corps, the Lagos State Task Force, and LASTMA field officers.
Authorities said the operation followed repeated formal complaints from the Nigerian Airport Authority, NPA, over illegal activities and encroachment on its facilities by criminal groups and non-compliant commercial drivers operating in clear violation of existing regulations.
The NPA reportedly raised concerns that the activities of the illegal operators had become a major nuisance along the airport corridor, citing frequent cases of harassment, intimidation, and dispossession of unsuspecting members of the public.
READ ALSO:Court Dismisses Ex-Binance Chief’s Claims Of Unlawful Detention Against EFCC
During the enforcement exercise, five officers attached to the joint task force were attacked with dangerous weapons by the suspects.
In an apparent attempt to disrupt the operation, one of LASTMA’s tow trucks was also deliberately set on fire.
Despite the violent resistance and threat to lives and public assets, the enforcement officers were said to have conducted themselves with restraint, professionalism, and courage throughout the operation.
Reacting to the incident, Mr Bakare-Oki reaffirmed the Lagos State Government’s determination to protect critical infrastructure, ensure the safety of road users, and maintain law and order across the state.
He stressed that the government would not yield to intimidation or tolerate violence from criminal elements, warning that acts of lawlessness would be met with decisive legal action.
The LASTMA boss further assured residents that enforcement activities along key and strategic corridors in Lagos would continue unabated, in collaboration with sister agencies, to curb criminal activities, restore order, and safeguard lives and property across the metropolis.
Metro
Police Arrest 13 During Cult Initiation In Delta
The Delta State Police Command has arrested 13 suspected members of a cult group and recovered several firearms and other dangerous items.
The suspects were arrested during an initiation ceremony at the Ekraka Community forest in Kokori on Saturday.
The operation carried out late-night during a tactical operation in Ethiope East local government area of the state followed credible intelligence that members of the Aiye Confraternity, also known as Black Axe, were planning an initiation.
Police, operatives of the Quick Response Squad, led by its commander, SP Collins Achem, were swiftly deployed to the area to prevent the gathering.
READ ALSO:
The Police Public Relations Officer, Delta State Command, SP Bright Edafe, disclosed this in a statement.
“At about 11:00 p.m., the patrol team encountered the suspects, who reportedly engaged the operatives in a gun duel upon sighting them.
“The operatives responded decisively, leading to the arrest of 13 suspects, while several others escaped deeper into the forest.
“A search of the forest resulted in the recovery of two automatic pump-action guns, one double-barrel cut-to-size gun, one single-barrel cut-to-size gun and a battle axe.
READ ALSO:
“Other items recovered included aprons bearing “NBM” insignia, razor blades cut into pieces, mobile phones, charms, and suspected hard drugs.
“In addition, seven vehicles believed to be owned and used by members of the cult group were recovered and towed to the QRS Base in Warri.
“The suspects are currently in police custody, while investigations are ongoing to determine their individual roles, dismantle the cult network, and apprehend other fleeing members,” the statement read.
The Delta State Police Command urged residents to remain vigilant and continue to support the police with credible information to enhance security across the state.
He told parents, schools, community and faith leaders, as well as youths, to see the fight against cultism as a collective responsibility.
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