The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has warned against planned protests against the anti-graft agency by “a shadowy group.”

The EFCC issued the warning in a statement signed by Dele Oyewale, Head, Media and Publicity of the Commission, on Wednesday.

According to the anti-graft agency, “in the last couple of days, the group has been actively campaigning on social media, recruiting impressionable young Nigerians, including students, to take up ‘arms’ against the EFCC.”

The Commission mentioned that “this insidious campaign is being promoted as resistance to the operational activities of the Commission, especially in respect of the enforcement of the laws dealing with cybercrimes.”

The Commission pointed out that it is not “averse to protests by citizens,” however, it “is alarmed by emerging evidence that suggests a grand design by corrupt elements under investigation or prosecution by the Commission to exploit the so-called protest to orchestrate a national uprising that may threaten the peace and security of our dear nation.”

The Commission, while warning against protests that may deter its operations, noted that it “will not tolerate any breakdown of law and order anywhere in the country, especially around its office locations across Nigeria.”

“EFCC, working in concert with sister security agencies, is therefore taking necessary measures to deal with possible threats to the peace and security of Nigeria,” the statement added.

The Commission also “appeals to parents, guardians, and heads of tertiary institutions to take responsibility for ensuring that their wards are not recruited to be used as cannon fodder in a proxy war against the Commission by vested corrupt interests.

“The war being waged by the Commission against corruption and cybercrime is to protect the future of the youth of this country. That future is imperilled if Nigeria degenerates further in global reckoning as a den of fraudsters,” the statement reads.