The management of Goodwill School in Ikorodu, Lagos, has accused operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of forcefully invading its premises, and assaulting teachers and students while enforcing a court order.
According to the school, EFCC officials stormed the classrooms on Thursday, February 27, 2025, informing staff and pupils that the agency had taken over the institution through a final forfeiture order obtained in January 2025 via an ex parte motion—without prior notice to the management.
Speaking to journalists, the acting vice principal, Olalekan Adewale, described how the presence of armed officers left students terrified, saying that one pupils vomited due to distress..
“The EFCC officers even threatened to arrest me but changed their minds when the teachers and pupils insisted they would accompany me to their office in Lagos Island. They harassed everyone simply because we refused to accept the letter they brought. It was a traumatic experience for both teachers and students,” he said.
He said that EFCC officers returned on Friday, February 28, and ordered all students and staff members to vacate the premises.
Adewale recalled, “On Friday, the children were gathered for morning devotion when gun-wielding EFCC officials arrived and ordered everyone to leave the school grounds, leaving their belongings behind. The children were in shock—they had never experienced anything like this before. It felt like a war situation. I had to beg them not to approach the primary section, as there were young children there. The chaos lasted over three hours.”
The VP, who was also the mathematics teacher, claimed he nearly fainted when the officials pointed guns at him and wanted to force him to sign a document that he knew nothing about.
The school’s proprietor, Pastor Omoniyi Enikuomehin, alleged that EFCC officials forcibly evicted students and staff from the premises and attempted to detain the vice principal.
“I wasn’t around when the EFCC officials came, but I was informed that two of them were armed. They entered the school compound and told students that the school now belonged to the EFCC.
“They asked the Vice Principal to sign a letter, but he declined, stating that he had no authorization from the management. The officers then threatened to arrest him, but the teachers and students refused to let him go alone,” Enikuomehin explained.
The allegation of assault not true – EFCC
Responding to the allegations, EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, denied claims that officers assaulted anyone.
“We do not storm locations; we conduct our operations lawfully. The Goodwill School case is under investigation, and the matter is in court. The court granted final forfeiture of the property to the commission after following due legal processes.
“Once a property is forfeited to the government, no business can be conducted there. Our officers simply informed the school that the property was under litigation and had been forfeited. They did not arrest or assault anyone,” he stated.
He dismissed the notion that the commission “stormed” the school, insisting that the management knew the property was under investigation.
“The property in question is under investigation. When a property is under investigation, we don’t need to inform anyone before our operatives visit. Our officers were only there to ensure the property was not tampered with. This was not an invasion; it was a routine visit,” Oyewale asserted.
“The argument that people were ‘chased out’ does not stand because they were not supposed to be on the premises at all.”
He also justified the presence of armed officers, saying, “When you’re going for any law enforcement operation, you have to be armed. Resistance can occur anytime, and our officers must be prepared.”
Legal dispute behind EFCC’s takeover of the school
Documents obtained by The Nation from the school’s solicitor revealed that the EFCC’s action stemmed from a contractual dispute between a first-generation bank and Mrs. Olabisi Victoria Olaiya.
A petition filed by the law firm Ronke Adekoya & Co. on behalf of Mrs. Olaiya accuses the bank of breaching a contractual agreement related to a mortgaged property.
It was gathered that part of Goodwill School was reportedly used as collateral for a loan. When the original property owner attempted to sell it to settle the debt, the bank allegedly bypassed due process by selling it to Mrs. Olaiya without competitive bidding.
However, the bank later halted the transfer of title documents after the original owner objected, leading Mrs. Olaiya to petition the EFCC to recover her funds.
The anti-graft agency subsequently obtained an ex parte order for both interim and final forfeiture of the property.
The school’s proprietor has since informed the court that he was not given prior notice before the forfeiture order was granted.
The Nation
