….Nigerians React

By Akinwale Olayinka

Dorothy Bachor, former Big Brother Nigeria, BBN, Season 5 housemate, took to her Instagram page in the early hours of Monday August 23, 2021, to discredit and lashed anti-graft agency, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for forcefully invading her house around 4:45am, sending fear into the spine of everyone in a house, including her aged mother.

The BBN star claimed that the EFCC operatives trailed a suspected fraudster forcefully breaking into her house which claimed is unlawful, unpatriotic and an abuse on her fundamental human rights.

However, the anti graft agency have refuted her claim saying that nine suspected fraudsters were arrested in her apartment.

In a statement by the spokesperson for the EFCC, Wilson Uwujuaren, it said that, “The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has been drawn to a post on Instagram by one Dorothy Bachor, alleging that operatives of the Commission broke into her home in the early hours of today, 23rd August, 2021

“The Commission can confirm that operatives from the Lagos Command of the Commission, acting on verified intelligence, executed a Search Warrant at a block of flats located in the Lekki area of Lagos on Monday, 23rd August, 2021 during which nine internet fraud suspects were arrested.

“Ms. Bachor’s apartment happened to be one of the flats in the building. EFCC operatives had knocked on her entrance door, identified themselves as being from the Commission on a mission to execute a Search Warrant. But they were refused entry, for several minutes by Bachor’s sister. The operatives were left with no choice than to force their way in, lest suspects escape or destroy vital evidence.

“It is important to state that law abiding citizens have no reason to refuse the execution of a validly obtained Search Warrant. And, contrary to the information making the rounds in the social media, Ms. Bachor was not present during the operation and the anti- EFCC stories about her coming out half-naked among other fantastical details appear to have been invented to fit the pattern she and other internet-fueled stars so desperately want to push about the EFCC.

“It is important to reiterate that nine alleged internet fraud suspects were apprehended in the block of flats housing Ms. Bachor’s apartment”.

Contrary to the claim by Dorothy that she was present at the scene when the EFCC invaded her apartment, the anti graft agency have disclosed that she wasn’t at home, however, generating reaction from different quarters.

According to Yinka Olumide, a social commentator, “Regardless of who you are, you don’t have the right to lash any anti graft agency for performing its duty. It is clear that Dorothy lied and wanted to gain unnecessary sympathy from people by rushing to the social media space to vent unnecessary anger.

“It is good that the EFCC made this statement. She was said not to be at home, so why come to the social media and concoct a story that does not exist. That shows that they have something fishy and also bring something”, Olumide said.

In the same vein, Chinyere Martins, a social analysts slammed Dorothy for misleading her followers and the general public with half truth stories.

“They believe when they have little fame, they can influence everyone with lies. It is pathetic because she ought to be a role model, why would she lie when she wasn’t even at the scene of the event. For the EFCC to have raided the house, they are privy to certain informations and they had to follow it to the letter and anyone obstructing them from carrying out their duties ought to be arrested”, she said.