The Managing Director of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta, Ogun State, Mr. Vitalis Ortese, has declared that Ogun State is currently under attacks by men of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), while warning President Bola Tinubu and Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State to realise that many businesses are already facing losses and moving out of the state.
Ortese made this known on Thursday during an interview on “Frontline” programme of the Eagle 102.5 FM, following the August 10, 2025 wee hour invasion of the OOPL Hotel by armed men of the EFCC from Lagos State.
Describing the unexpected invasion, attack and indiscriminate shooting which made many people to be injured as “uncalled for”, the MD said that many youths who are making mobile headlines for Nigeria, globally, were just being molested and our cultural factor being eroded.
Noting that the EFCC operatives invaded the hotel premises on August 10 between 1.15 and 1.30 a.m, in about five vehicles, Ortese said they told the security operatives including Policemen at the gate that they they were there on operations, and nobody could stop them.
Recalling the trauma the attendees of the night party went through and the economic loss incurred, Ortese said, “My understanding now is that most of the tenants are trying to move their businesses out of Abeokuta or Ogun state as a whole. This is not the first attack. I understand there was an attack on an event in Itori. it looks like Ogun state is generally under attack from EFCC, and people, as well as, entertainers, don’t feel safe anymore. This is negatively affecting the economic life of people of Ogun state. This should be an interest to the authorities that Ogun state is seriously under attack by the EFCC”, he said.
Giving a general overview, of the attack, Ortese said “on August 10th at about 1.15 to 1.30 in the morning, a van full of armed men took over the exit of the hotel. About 15 men offloaded and while some blocked the exit gate, some went to the entrance. They met with the 12 assigned Policemen who were already at the gate. They introduced themselves and while they were yet talking, another set of the EFCC operatives came out of another vehicle because they were in about four or five buses. They parked at the gate and later badged into the gate and drove into the premises, and started shooting their guns. This is exactly what happened.
“There was not much conversation other than ‘we are here on operations, and nobody can stop us’. And they started shooting indiscriminately right at the gate, even before they got to the venue of the event. Because the organizers had already put in place security including Policemen from Keita and the Anti-cultism men in uniform, nobody was expecting anything of such. The people who were in the event knew that there were lots of security around and so they were not really bothered and so they went ahead with the event.
“The event was not that of OOPL really. It was organized by a group who rented the venue. The organizers had been using the place before and the instant one was the fourth. They said that the event was a party and it was a night one, and so we apprised them that they should organize adequate security. They didn’t inform the EFCC because the people we also generally involved are the police. Even if we had to inform the EFCC, it would be men in Ogun state here. These people came from Lagos State. And as we understand, their people here were not even aware of their coming. It was not the first time we were hosting events. We host weddings, conferences, anniversaries, funerals, and there are a lot of spaces people come to. And any of these events could have been communicated to anybody to come and attack, but I don’t think that was enough ground for the EFCC to come and be shooting guns indiscriminately”, Ortese recalled.
On whether the policemen at the gate prevented the EFCC men from entering, the MD said “There was no resistance at all from the security on ground to warrant the shooting. When they came, they met the security men invited by the organizers at the gate, as well as, the policemen invited by the OOPL. We had informed the DPO at Keita that an event was going to hold at the OOPL, and that we would need extra security. At least, this is the standard practice all over the world”.
On whether anybody died, he said “There was no fatality but I can say that everybody is a casualty because the kind of trauma they went through was much. They beat up many people and many were injured as a result of their running into gutters, gullies because they did not know what was going on. To the best of our knowledge, nobody has died, though.
“In their website, they said that they arrested some people for fraud and fraudulent activities. I don’t speak for them, but the issue is that it was not our event. The people rented the space and we provided security for it. We have asked the EFCC to apologize for the invasion and we are asking for N3.5bn damages. Security men had approached us several times in the past asking that they wanted to get information about anybody on our premises, and we had always cooperated with them to have access to such people. This was not the first time.
“We have not really commenced legal process against the EFCC, but we have indicated that if they do not make restitution against the Foundation, we would do. We have informed our lawyers appropriately, and what next action we will take after seven days, if they fail to respond”, he said.
Asked whether the attack was politically motivated, the MD said, “I can’t say whether there was any politician at the event or whether the invasion was politically motivated. If the EFCC had anything against the Chief Promoter of the organization, His Excellency, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, they could have gone to him directly or they could have invited him to their office. Their coming to molest and attack innocent Nigerians who were only out to enjoy themselves, is totally uncalled for. And these were young Nigerians that have been making mobile headlines around the world. They are selling Nigeria and projecting our cultural factor. What EFCC operatives have done is to me, more of an attack on people’s economic life because my understanding now is that most of the tenants are trying to move their businesses out of Abeokuta or Ogun state as a whole. This is not the first attack. I understand there was an attack on an event in Itori. it looks like Ogun state is generally under attacks from EFCC, and people, as well as, entertainers, don’t feel safe anymore. This should be an interest to the authorities that Ogun state is seriously under attacks by the EFCC”, Ortese said.
