Former President Olusegun Obasanjo.Anti-graft agency dismisses claims of targeting Obasanjo Presidential Library, says operation was intelligence-driven
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will today, Friday, August 15, 2025, arraign 23 of the 93 suspected internet fraudsters arrested during a late-night sting operation at a hotel within the precincts of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta, Ogun State.
The suspects are to be charged before Justice D. Dipeolu of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, in batches, with the arraignment of the remaining individuals to follow shortly. EFCC said the arrests were the outcome of credible intelligence indicating that the suspects were holding a pool party to celebrate alleged proceeds from internet fraud.
According to EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale, the party, which was initially planned for two other locations, was relocated to the hotel inside the OOPL premises in an attempt to evade law enforcement surveillance. He explained that the planners, aware of the Commission’s monitoring, believed the venue would shield them from arrest.
Oyewale stressed that the former president’s facility was never the target of the operation. He clarified that the raid focused solely on the individuals suspected of cybercrime, many of whom have confessed to offences such as impersonation, identity theft, and internet fraud.
The EFCC’s clarification comes in the wake of strong condemnation from the management of the OOPL, which had described the operation as a deliberate attack on former President Olusegun Obasanjo. The library’s management alleged that guests at its guest house were unjustly arrested and demanded ₦3.5 billion in compensation, along with a public apology within seven days, failing which it threatened legal action.
The anti-graft agency, however, maintained that its action was lawful and guided by actionable intelligence. The Commission said its operation targeted individuals suspected of financial crimes, not the institution housing them, and reiterated its commitment to pursuing all such cases to a logical conclusion.
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