BREAKING: Sporadic Shooting As Students Lock EFCC Operatives In Their Hostel

Fear gripped the Federal College of Forestry in Jericho, Ibadan, on October 24, as officials from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) were reportedly detained by students.

There were conflicting reports about the cause of the incident. One source stated that the EFCC operatives were at the college to arrest suspected internet fraudsters, while another account suggested that they were misled into the hostel by a suspect under investigation.

The students detained the EFCC officials, locking them inside the hostel and mobilizing to resist any operation. The EFCC operatives, unable to leave, called for police backup. According to witnesses, the police arrived, firing shots into the air to disperse the students and secure the release of the detained EFCC operatives.

One version of the incident indicated that the suspect being pursued by the EFCC falsely claimed to be a staff member of the college and led the operatives to the student hostel, creating confusion and panic among the students. The situation caused a brief pandemonium within the college premises, with students and staff seeking safety during the commotion amid gunshots.

The school authorities later intervened, persuading the students to release the detained EFCC operatives. A truce was brokered, and the EFCC officials were later hosted for a meeting in the school boardroom. But the suspect who was wanted took advantage of the chaos to escape, misleading the anti-graft operatives in the process.

Efforts to confirm the incident from the EFCC and the police were not successful, with official statements yet to be released.