Buhari Nominates Another Corrupt EFCC Official To Replace Magu as Chairman

Head of Nigeria’s ruling junta Muhammadu Buhari has asked the rubber stamp Senate to confirm Mr Abdulrasheed Bawa as substantive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)
In a letter to President of the Senate, Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan, the President said he was acting in accordance with Paragraph 2(3) of Part1, CAP E1 of EFCC Act 2004.

This was disclosed in a press release by Buhari’s special assistant Media, Femi Adesina.

Adesina disclosed that Bawa, 40, is a trained EFCC investigator with vast experience in the investigation and prosecution of Advance Fee Fraud cases, official corruption, bank fraud, money laundering, and other economic crimes. He has undergone several specialized trainings in different parts of the world, and was one of the pioneer EFCC Cadet Officers in 2005.

Bawa holds a B.Sc degree in Economics, and Masters in International Affairs and Diplomacy.

Controversy trails Bawa’s Appointment:

Bawa who was EFCC’s Zonal Head in Lagos has been severally accused of acts of corruption while serving in that capacity in Port Harcourt.

In November 2020, A lawyer Mr. Olaniyi Adekanla, Esq hosted a press conference where he accused Bawa of several serious offences.

Adekanla disclosed the following: “Last year (2019), under the watch of Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa in the Port-Harcourt Zonal office of EFCC, dozens of petrol tankers were confiscated from suspected looters and same were auctioned to Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa proxies at ridiculous prices. 

“This irked some junior colleagues who wrote anonymous petitions and sequel to which Mr. Bawa was arrested and detained for several days in Port-Harcourt before Magu, former head of the institution who consequently ordered his transfer to the agency’s training school in Abuja.

“Mr. Bawa was accused of selling at least 244 trucks worth between N20 to N30 Million each at N100,000 or slightly more per unit to his proxies! A proxy was said to have sold one of the tankers to a businessman in Ibadan for N14.8Million. This obscene deal was said to have denied Nigeria Government about N4.88 Billion Naira, an amount which is enough to take care of the yearly overhead of the organization, conservatively put at N4.5Million per annum.

“It may interest you to know that while forfeiture proceedings are ongoing no sale of any goods that forms subject matter of the criminal allegation can be made. In contradistinction to this avowed position Mr. Bawa put those trucks that were subject matter of criminal litigation at Federal High Court for sale.” 

He expressed that it is unfortunate that Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa was rewarded with the headship of EFCC Lagos Zonal Division.