Chief Executive Officer of Lakers Lounge Hotel and Bar, Ikorodu, Lagos State, Oladimeji Ogunfolaju, has raised the alarm over constant raids of his hotel by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC , an action he said had paralyzed his business and made him incur N168 million debt.
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At the moment, Ogunfolaju said he was contemplating suicide over his inability to pay back loans he collected from the bank to run his hotel business.
The operatives as gathered, alleged that some internet fraudsters, otherwise called yahoo boys patronised the hotel and bar .
Narrating his ordeal to Saturday Vanguard, yesterday in Lagos ,Ogunfolaju , alleged that the EFCC operatives who claimed to have come from Abuja and Oyo state ,raided his hotel on three different occasions and arrested his employees and customers.
The latest raid, according to him, occurred on June 3,2023. He said , “ The June 3,2023 raid at Club Lakers, Ikorodu, was led by one SP Chris Odofin, from Abuja ,with a combined team from Ibadan, Oyo State.
The operatives arrested no fewer than 100 persons who were barmen, bouncers, chefs, waitresses and customers, among others and took them to Abuja. I spent millions of naira securing their release and bringing them back to Lagos.
“ The anti-graft agency first raided my business premises sometime in 2020 and the implication of the raid adversely affected my business. I was still struggling to overcome the challenge and financial losses incurred when the second raid happened in 2022.
“I have lost about N1 Billion in revenue due to these incessant raids by EFCC and other security operatives. I am in a serious financial crisis and customers no longer place trust in us in terms of their safety, they stopped coming to the business premises for patronage.”
Lamenting further, he said , “ I applied for a N168 million loan and was servicing the loan after the first raid when EFCC operatives raided the premises again in 2022. The raid brought colossal damage to my finances and I have not been able to service the loan which has accrued interests.
“The constant raids have soiled the image we have built over the years. I contemplated suicide because the thought of the loan repayment has been affecting me. The EFCC did injustice to me and my business, I am hurt.
“The most painful aspect is that the EFCC, despite identifying the officers, particularly one who led the illegal raid, have refused to be accountable. I want justice and compensation and I want President Bola Tinubu to curtail the excesses of the EFCC”., he appealed.
However , when the spokesman for the EFCC, Mr Dele Oyewale was contacted, he expressed doubt over the authenticity of identities of those who raided the hotel as EFCC operatives. .
He said , “ They are not EFCC operatives because EFCC operatives will not behave that way. We have a standard procedure of operation. But If he has proof , he should approach the EFCC by writing a petition to that effect and the matter will be addressed”.
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