SAHARA REPORTERS
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday was compelled to release one serving officer of the Nigerian Army and seven Nigerian Air Force (NAF) operatives arrested for internet-related fraud.
The suspects were released after some NAF personnel stormed the Kaduna State zonal office of the anti-graft agency over the arrest of the suspects.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that some NAF personnel stormed the EFCC office over the arrest of the serving military personnel.
The military men had arrived at the EFCC office sited at Number 4, Wurno Road in the Kaduna State capital around 10am on Friday in about three Hilux patrol vans and surrounded the main gate of the anti-graft commission office thereby preventing the EFCC officials from going in or out of the office.
The suspects were earlier arrested by the Kaduna State zonal office of the EFCC on Monday and remanded in the custody of the commission for further investigation and possible prosecution.
The invasion of the NAF personnel culminated in a showdown between the Air Force personnel and EFCC security operatives, who engaged in a shouting match and threatened to pull the trigger on each other.
However, the situation was brought under control with the EFCC zonal head and the leader of the air force team meeting briefly, leading to the release of the suspects.
The EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, while reacting to the incident, told Channels TV that the commission decided to release the suspects upon completing its investigation and forensic profiling.
Oyewale explained that the release and handover of the suspects to their agencies was not done in line with the commission’s standard operating procedure, adding that the suspects would still be arraigned in court at the appropriate time, despite being released to their agency.
