The Business and Hoteliers Stakeholders Forum (BHSF) in Edo State, on Wednesday, decried the dearth of their businesses owing to the unwarranted arrest and harassment of their customers by law enforcement agents, particularly the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Addressing journalists at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Secretariat in Benin, the State Chairman of BHSF, Bishop Omogiade Edokpolo, urged the EFCC to desist from indiscriminate arrest of their customers and lodgers, claiming over 93 young people were arrested in various hotels in the state recently.
He added that the whereabouts of the 93 lodgers arrested by security agents remain unknown to the families of their customers, who are allegedly in EFCC custody.
Edokpolo appealed to the Chairman of the EFCC to swiftly address the issues of unwarranted arrests by its operatives in Edo State, adding that any sort of arrest that the EFCC wishes to carry out should at least be backed by the provision of a legal warrant.
He also called on the EFCC Chairman to redeploy the Edo state EFCC Zonal Director to other states, as businesses and economic activities in the state are suffering, owing to their style of operations targeting hotels and businesses only in Edo.
According to Edokpolo, EFCC has, by its actions, so far shown a calculated attempt to suffocate businesses in Edo.
He said: “What we will no longer accept as business owners is the EFCC oppression and depression of businesses in Edo State.
“Our biggest fear is not that we don’t want them to do their jobs, but they have successfully created a runaway mentality in people from owning and operating businesses in Edo State. “
Responding to the allegation via telephone, EFCC spokesman, Mr. Dele Oyewale, said the Business and Hoteliers Stakeholders Forum (BHSF) in Edo State has no understanding of the operations of the agency on its mandate to tackle all economic and financial crimes in the country.
He said that the EFCC investigates cases of economic and financial crimes, including corruption, money laundering, and other related offenses.