By Darlington Onedibe
Panic gripped the Delta State civil service on Friday as operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) launched a surprise screening exercise at the State Secretariat complex in Asaba.
​The unannounced operation, which aimed to audit personnel records and root out potential financial discrepancies, has drawn sharp criticism from organized labor, with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) expressing profound shock over the development.
​Early in the morning, EFCC officials accompanied by armed security personnel took strategic positions at the secretariat gates and specific ministry departments. Employees arriving for work were met with strict cordons, as the anti-graft agency demanded immediate verification of employment letters, promotion documents, and biometric data.
​According to sources within the secretariat, the operation caught everyone off guard, causing a temporary halt in government business.
​”We just came to work like any other day, only to find EFCC agents asking for our credentials and auditing files. The atmosphere was incredibly tense,” said a civil servant who requested anonymity.
​The leadership of organized labor in Delta State has strongly condemned the approach, labeling it an overreach and an intimidation tactic. In a joint emergency press briefing, representatives of the NLC and TUC stated that while they do not support corruption, the method used by the commission was deeply flawed.
​The unions expressed several key grievances. Labor leaders argued that an administrative audit should follow established civil service protocols rather than resembling a criminal raid.
The heavy presence of armed operatives allegedly traumatized law-abiding workers. The unions questioned why the EFCC bypassed internal state mechanism audits and the Civil Service Commission.
​”We are in total shock,” a spokesperson for the NLC stated. “Civil servants are not criminals. If there is a need for verification or an investigation into ghost workers, there are civil service rules and procedures to follow. Storming the secretariat with guns is completely unacceptable and unacceptable to our members.”
​While the EFCC has not released an official press statement regarding the specific scope of the Asaba operation, an inside source indicated that the exercise is part of a broader, data-driven crackdown on payroll fraud, “ghost workers,” and the inflation of state wage bills across several states.
​The Delta State Government has urged workers to remain calm and law-abiding while it engages with both the EFCC leadership and labor unions to resolve the situation and ensure that regular government operations resume without further disruption.
