The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has alleged that a former governor and two former ministers are the arrowheads of the planned protests against it.
The anti-graft agency which on Wednesday alerted the public to the protests restated its advice to ‘’impressionable’’ youths, especially students, against being used by the “looters of our commonwealth.”
It also had a message for parents: ‘’prevail on your children and wards not to join protests against issues they have no clear understanding about.’’
The commission, however, said the support base of the masterminds had been weakened with the withdrawal of 259 civil society organizations from the planned protests.
EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale stated these while fielding questions from reporters at a news conference organised by the Strategic Communications Inter-agency Policy Committee (SCIPC) under the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA).
Oyewole said: “Generally and holistically, all of these people that are talking about ending the EFCC, kill EFCC are tangentially affected by the activities of the commission.
‘’We know that our activities are affecting people who have one thing or the other to hide, and we know that it’s natural that they want to fight us.
“And that is why we came out publicly to make it known. We have a responsibility to tell the public.”
“If you have 259 civil society organisations(CSOs) coming out publicly to say that we are not going to support the protests, then their moral base is weakened.
“The CSOs are saying that their intelligence shows that an ex-governor and two former ministers are behind the protests. That is their intelligence.
“We also have our intelligence, but the sum and substance of everything is that the protests are not in the overall interest of the nation. Our youths should be wary so that they will not be recruited and used as cannon fodders in a cause that they don’t understand.’’
Like the EFCC, a group, the Coalition for Transparency and Economic Reforms (COTER), called on parents to warn their children and wards against ‘’thinly-disguised anti-Tinubu protests against the EFCC to avoid regrets.’’
“The major aim of the planned massive protests is to create panic, fear, and anarchy and ultimately scuttle the achievements of the current administration of President Bola Tinubu,” COTER said in a statement by its Coordinator, Adeshina Animashaun.
In Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Southwest Zone D, distanced its members from the planned protests.
The association said it stands with the EFCC in the fight against all crimes that tarnish the image of Nigerian youths.
“NANS Southwest hereby disassociates herself from any group of persons, organisations or individuals who plan to water down the efforts of the EFCC.
“We encourage all students and members of the community to refrain from participating in any protests that may arise and to continue supporting efforts to promote accountability and good governance,’’ said NAN’s Zone D Coordinator Alao John.
The anti-corruption agency also received the support of the National Orientation Agency(NOA) yesterday.
NOA revealed that it has mobilised its 4,000 members of staff to track the promoters of violence in the country.
The agency added that apart from activating its civil intelligence network, its 812 offices have been mandated to identify incident spots and individuals involved in the planned protests against the EFCC.
“A group has been recruiting young Nigerians, including students, through social media to protest against the EFCC’s operational activities, particularly in enforcing cybercrime laws,” NOA’s Director-General Lanre Issa-Onilu said in a statement yesterday.
“NOA, therefore, urges Nigerians to report any suspicious movements or activities to the nearest EFCC office or law enforcement agency or reach the NOA through the “Say Something” platform on the agency’s app, Mobiliser.”