EFCC says Obasanjo not target of sting operation, sets to arraign 23 suspects
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has said that the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) in Abeokuta was not the target of its recent sting operation that led to the arrest of 93 suspected internet fraudsters.
However, the OOPL management who condemned the operation described it as a deliberate attack on former President Olusegun Obasanjo and “a stark and blatant violation of the rights of the people who gathered for the event”, while demanding a compensation of N3.5bn in addition to public apology within seven days.
Responding in a statement on Thursday, EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, said that the operation was in response to an intelligence on the convergence of suspected fraudsters planning to celebrate ill-gotten gains and seemingly using OOPL as cover, stating that the operation only took place at a hotel within the precints of the OOPL and not the main library building.
He noted that almost all the suspects were implicated in various offences including impersonation, internet fraud and identity theft.
According to Oyewale, “Sequel to the arrest of 93 suspected internet fraudsters at a hotel within the precincts of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, the EFCC will, on Friday, August 15, 2025, arraign 23 of the suspects before Justice D. Dipeolu of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos.
“The arraignment, to be conducted in batches, follows their arrest at a pool party where they were celebrating their exploits. The party was initially planned to hold in two locations but was shifted to the hotel in OOPL ostensibly to escape possible arrest.
“The planners got wind of the Commission’s intelligence and scampered to the OOPL expecting a sort of cover from arrest. The former president’s facility was not a target of EFCC’s operations. The suspects were the target and have confessed to involvement in internet crimes.”
