Obasanjo library demands N3.5bn compensation, public apology over EFCC raid

The Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) has demanded ₦3.5 billion in compensation and a public apology from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) following what it described as an “unlawful invasion” of its premises on Sunday.

According to reports, EFCC operatives stormed the library grounds during a raid, arresting 93 suspected internet fraudsters and seizing 18 vehicles as well as several mobile devices.

Speaking during a press briefing in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, on Wednesday, Vitalis Ortese, Managing Director of OOPL, described the EFCC’s actions as “unlawful” and “a direct assault on everything this institution stands for.”

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Ortese condemned the operation as “an apparent invasion of a private property, an infringement of OOPL’s rights as a corporate citizen, and a stark and blatant violation of the rights of the people who gathered for the event.”

He stressed that the incident amounted to “an assault on what the institution stands for and an assault on every rule of law that should be the guide rail for democracy.”

OOPL’s demands include: A comprehensive investigation into the incident, with findings publicly released; a public apology published in major national newspapers; immediate restitution for damages suffered by those arrested and whose vehicles were seized, amounting to at least ₦1 billion for bodily injuries to no fewer than 100 persons and an additional ₦2.5 billion as a token of acknowledgment and atonement for reputational and financial damage to the institution, its business, and its chief promoter, His Excellency, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.

Ortese also criticised the “glaring lack of inter-agency collaboration”, noting that police officers stationed at the OOPL premises were neither respected nor included in the EFCC operation.

He warned that if the demands were not met within seven days counting from Wednesday the library’s management would seek legal redress.

He emphasised that the events disrupted normal activities at the library:

“Families and international tourists were holidaying. Entrepreneurs were conducting business. Youths were organising musical shows and entertainment events. These are the very expressions of creativity and productivity we are meant to encourage—not criminalise.”

Ortese said the indiscretion of the operation had created fear among young people trying to earn legitimate incomes, sending “the wrong message—that creativity and enterprise are suspect, ambition is dangerous, and public spaces are unsafe.”

The OOPL management confirmed it had engaged legal counsel, security experts, and civil society partners to demand accountability, enforce institutional respect, and protect the rights of patrons and staff.