Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State has held a meeting with owners of night clubs in Akure following the Saturday’s raid by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
EFCC had in an early morning sting operation on Saturday arrested 127 suspected internet fraudsters at Signature and Abah Clubs in Akure, while allegedly holding a “Yahoo Party” simultaneously.
Aiyedatiwa, while addressing owners of night clubs and hotels at the Government House on Sunday, said the EFCC has the mandate to carry out arrest of suspects.
According to a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Ebenezer Adeniyan, the governor “sympathised with them on the damages done to their facilities and loss of revenue.”
The statement read in parts: “The Governor urged them to compile a record of all their facilities destroyed during the raids so they can use it to present their genuine cases to the necessary authorities.
“Saying that there can’t be smoke without fire, the Governor said the EFCC has the mandate to carry out arrest of suspects and must have acted on credible intelligence to carry out the raids.
“Governor Aiyedatiwa, however, said innocent people affected by the operation should seek redress while those who have cases to answer should be allowed to defend themselves.
“Adding that he has been in communication with top security agencies to get credible reports on the incident, the Governor promised to intervene wherever necessary.
“The club owners, who thanked the Governor for the timely meeting, said they were not part of those planning to hold a protest over the incident.”
