Angry protesters comprising students and staff of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile Ife on Wednesday stormed the zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

The demonstrators are calling for release of the acting Vice Chancellor of OAU, Professor Anthony Elujoba, who is in the agency’s custody over allegations of illegal diversion of 1.4 billion Naira.

Professor Elujoba and the university’s bursar, Mrs Aderonke Akeredolu, were invited by the EFCC for questioning, as a result of a petition which came from the university’s community.

The VC was accused of diverting the institution’s fixed assets and endowment fund without approval from the federal ministry and governing council of the university to pay some unapproved allowances from which he purportedly paid himself seven million Naira as furniture allowance.

Routine Procedure

A mild crowd of supporters had gathered at the EFCC office in Iyaganku, even before Elujoba’s arrival and later became rowdy as the investigation progressed.

The spokesman for the anti-graft agency in the zone, Mr Ayo Oyewole, told Channels Television crew that the invitation was sent since November 25, consequent upon the petition filed by members of the university community, less than five months after the interim VC assumed office.

He noted that the angry outbursts from the protesters were totally needless as he stressed that the interrogation was a routine procedure.

Oyewole maintained that investigation would continue until all questions were satisfactorily answered beyond reasonable doubt.

The protesters, however, believed that the interrogation was an attempt to oppress the acting VC.

Professor Elujoba became the acting Vice Chancellor of OAU in July 2016, after a period of crisis of leadership within the management and board of the institution.