The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has released lawyer Phillip Tunji Ojo, who had been detained at its facility in Oyo State.
Ojo’s release came approximately 24 hours after his arrest by the anti-graft agency in Ibadan. Following his detention, members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) organized a peaceful protest demanding the immediate and unconditional release of their colleague.
Ibadan NBA Chairman, Ibrahim Lawal, confirmed Ojo’s release and emphasized that the protest was necessary to express their dissatisfaction with what he described as the “illegal and unlawful detention” of the lawyer while performing his duties. Lawal asserted that the demonstration aimed to end the frequent harassment of lawyers by the EFCC.
Lawal and other NBA members staged their protest at the EFCC’s Iyaganku zonal office. He noted that some EFCC officers were hostile to the protestors, but Ojo was eventually released due to the intervention of the EFCC Zonal Director, Hauwa Garba Ringim.
In response to the protest, the EFCC Zonal Director called for calm and advocated for greater cooperation between the NBA and the commission. She stressed the need for a collaborative approach in the ongoing fight against corruption.
