Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have refused to release a detained musician, Cyrus Reggae, professionally known as Lucent.
SaharaReporters learned that the musician was arrested on Thursday when EFCC operatives invaded Apple Gate Suites in Kaduna State.
A friend of the detained musician alleged that the EFCC wrongly labeled him a “Yahoo Boy” (internet fraudster) despite lacking concrete evidence to support charges, in a statement to SaharaReporters on Monday.
The friend said: “Since they have nothing against him, they have resulted in demanding money before they will allow him to go.
“They said he should pay the sum of N150,000. That is extortion. He did not commit any crime.”
He continued: “What happened was that on the day he was arrested, he did not have light (electricity) in his house because of these band issues in the country.
“So he went to the hotel (Apple Gate Suites) to charge his phone. He was charging when the EFCC invaded the place and arrested everyone, including him.
“They checked his phone and realised that he was not a ‘Yahoo Boy’. But instead of releasing him immediately, they held him in detention for days without granting him access to his family.”
The friend of the detained musician revealed that the EFCC was still holding Lucent in custody as of 11 am on Monday, with the condition that his lawyer must pay the demanded amount before his release.
Dele Oyewale, the EFCC’s national spokesman, was unreachable for comment despite repeated calls and text messages from SaharaReporters on Monday morning.