The management of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta, Ogun State, has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Inspector General of Police, demanding a public apology and N3.5 billion in restitution over last Sunday’s invasion of its premises.
Addressing journalists in Abeokuta on Wednesday, OOPL Managing Director, Mr. Vitalis Ortese, described the August 9–10 raid as “unlawful” and “a direct assault on everything the institution stands for.”
Operatives of the EFCC had stormed the OOPL premises in the early hours of Sunday, arresting 93 suspected internet fraudsters and seizing 18 vehicles and mobile devices.
Ortese accused the EFCC and the police of acting in an “oppressive, capricious and arbitrary” manner, saying their actions were “calculated to damage the legitimate business, financial interests and reputation” of OOPL and its chief promoter, former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The library is demanding a comprehensive public investigation into the incident, apologies from both the EFCC Chairman and the Inspector General of Police to be published across major media platforms, and immediate compensation of N1 billion to victims of the raid, in addition to N2.5 billion for reputational damage.
Ortese noted that over 100 patrons, some residing within the OOPL premises, were brutalized during what he described as an “illegal invasion,” insisting that the management is prepared to pursue all legal options should the demands not be met within seven days.
“If these demands are not fulfilled in full, we will seek redress in court without further recourse to the police or the EFCC, and our claims will not be limited to the current demands,” he said.