The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has directed its operatives to stop sting operations at night.
Ola Olukoyede, the commission’s chairman, announced the new directive on Wednesday in Abuja.
According to a statement by Dele Oyewale, EFCC’s spokesperson, the order was given in reaction to the agency’s raid of off-campus hostels of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile Ife, where 69 suspects were arrested for fraud-related offences.
A source told TheCable that the officials broke into the hostels with hammers.
The raid has generated mixed reactions on social media as the institution’s students demand the release of their arrested colleagues.
In another statement, EFCC also announced a review of its arrest and bail procedure to “adhere to the rule of law and international best practices in the treatment of suspects”.
The anti-graft agency barred the detention of suspects beyond the constitutionally allowed period without a remand warrant.
The commission directed operatives to ensure “premium attention is focused on the rights of suspects, especially where arrest, detention and bail issues are concerned”.
The commission also ordered its officers against demanding “professional certificates of sureties as a bail condition”.
“Every demand for international passports of suspects would henceforth be exercised with discretion, depending on the nature of the case, personality and country of residence of the suspect,” the statement reads.
“Director, Legal and Prosecution Department of the EFCC, Commander of the EFCC, CE Sylvanus Tahir, SAN, cautioned that, ‘bail conditions served on suspects must be reasonable and practicable to be fulfilled by suspects and their sureties.
“Detention of suspects without a Remand Warrant for unreasonable length of time beyond the constitutionally allowed period must henceforth stop forthwith.
“Officers of the Commission are also warned against unwarranted violation of rights of suspects. He called for professionalism in all operational activities, stressing that “it is time to have a paradigm shift and change the narrative. Henceforth, professionalism shall be the watchword. Let’s follow the best international standards worth our identity as a flagship law enforcement agency.”
According to the statement, many of the suspects arrested in the raid on the OAU off-campus hostels who have been “duly profiled” have been released by the commission.
