Tech entrepreneur accuses EFCC of harassment, unlawful seizure of belongings

Tech entrepreneur, Akukoma Israel, has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of harassment and unlawful detention of his belongings for nearly two years.

Join the Premium Times WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.

Open in WhatsApp

In a series of posts shared on his X account on Monday, Mr Israel alleged that the EFCC chairman, Ola Olukoyede, asked him to delete a previous post detailing his grievances, while also inviting him for a meeting.

The entrepreneur questioned the basis of the invitation, noting that he had visited EFCC offices more than 40 times over the past two years without resolution.

“I’m asking again which meeting are you inviting me over for?

“For close to 2 years I’ve visited your office more than 40 times, each trip to your office going and coming cost me N45,000 due to distance; do the calculations,” he said.

Mr Israel claimed that each visit cost him about N45,000 in travel expenses and often ended without progress, alleging that officials repeatedly told him they were working on it.

Demand for release of assets

The businessman said his vehicle and an iPhone 13 Pro Max have remained in EFCC custody since 2024, despite what he described as the absence of any formal charges against him.

Stay Ahead with Premium Times

Add as a preferred source on Google

He demanded that the commission either release the items or charge him in court by 21 April.

“Today I’m called to come, but to do what exactly? To be asked to bring down the post I guess, Here’s my condition to bring down this post, the EFCC Chairman @OlaOlukoyede_ should order the immediate release of my vehicle and my iPhone 13 pro max that’s the only way I’ll take down this post and everything here,” he wrote.

Mr Israel also alleged that EFCC operatives raided his home in the early hours of the morning, pointing guns at him and his wife during the operation. He said “breaking into my home by 4 a.m. with my wife naked on bed, you pointed gun at me and my wife like common criminals.”

He lamented the seizure of his properties by the EFCC since 2024 without finding him guilty of any crime, vowing not to continue to be silent about his travails.

EFCC’s original allegations over which he is being investigated are not clear from his posts.

Allegations of attempted account breach

In an earlier post dated 17 April, the entrepreneur accused EFCC officials of attempting to gain unauthorised access to the bank account of his business through the seized phone.

He claimed that attempts were made to change the password linked to his Moniepoint account, warning that the agency would be held responsible if any funds were lost.

“This is the 3rd time they’ve tried to change my Moniepoint Business Account Password through my iphone 13 pro max because that’s the primary phone you can access this account with.

“If my properties are not secure in your possession why not release them to me instead of trying to steal from me despite not finding me guilty of anything,” he said.

In screenshots shared as evidence, Mr Israel displayed email and SMS notifications purportedly showing repeated password reset attempts on his Moniepoint account, as well as transaction and reversal alerts, which he claims were initiated through a phone in the custody of the EFCC.

He added that his lawyers had written several letters to the EFCC leadership, with directives allegedly issued for the release of his items, but without compliance.

No official response yet

The EFCC has yet to publicly respond to the allegations as of the time of filing this report.

Efforts to obtain comments from the Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, were unsuccessful.

The agency is empowered to investigate financial crimes and may seize assets as part of investigations, but a court order is usually required to curtail citizens’ right to own property.