…facts to know about the acting Chairman
…social media’s mixed reaction to the news
President Bola Tinubu has approved the indefinite suspension from office of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, to allow for proper investigation into his conduct while in office.
Shortly after that, the Department of State Services (DSS) has invited the suspended Chairman over investigative activities concerning him.
According to a statement by the Director of Information at the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Willie Bassey, the action follows “weighty” allegations of abuse of office levelled against him.
“Mr Bawa has been directed to immediately handover the affairs of his office to the Director, Operations in the Commission, who will oversee the affairs of the Office of the Chairman of the Commission pending the conclusion of the investigation,” the statement said.
Earlier in the day, the EFCC chairman was at the State House for a meeting with the President.
The development comes after last Friday’s suspension of CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele and his subsequent arrest by the Department of State Services (DSS).
Recall that on February 13, some members of Civil Society Organisations numbering over 100, trooped out on the streets of Lagos in continuation of what they called “Protest Against Politicisation of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Disobedience of Court Orders and Infringement on Human Rights of Nigerians.”
That day’s protest was the third since the top activists began their call for the sack of the EFCC Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa.
They insisted that the EFCC, under Bawa, had turned itself into a sensational media agency, churning out deliberate misinformation on almost a daily basis to strengthen a political cause, and added that responsible CSOs would not fold their arms and watch the country’s global anti-corruption outlook slip into a mess “all in the name of the anti-democratic tendencies of a few recalcitrant leaders.”
The ‘Bawa Must Go’ protesters, were led on Monday by the Chairman, Centre for Anti-corruption and Open Leadership, Debo Adeniran; Executive Director, Zero Graft Centre, Kolawole Sanchez-Jude; Chairman, Coalition Against Corruption and Bad Governance, Toyin Raheem; Executive Director, Centre for Public Accountability, Olufemi Lawson; Spokesperson for the Transparency and Accountability Group, Ayodeji Ologun; Director, Activists for Good Governance, Declan Ihehaire; and Ahmed Balogun of Media Rights Concern, among others.
When asked why the CSOs wanted Bawa to quit, the Chairman of CACOL, Debo Adeniran, said.
“We are not only asking him (Bawa) to quit, we are asking the authorities to remove him because he has become an embarrassment to the fight against corruption. Any act of dishonesty is corruption. Anything that is against the law that is deliberately done with impunity is corruption. It doesn’t matter how you feel about a case. Even if it is a drunken judge that gives a verdict on any issue taken to the court, you are bound to obey the court order.
On his part, Spokesperson for the Transparency and Accountability Group, Ayodeji Ologun, noted, “Many cases of genuine corruption are left unattended under Bawa. He came on board through vendetta and he has proved in the period he has been in office that he might have been appointed to serve as a tool for political assault on opponents of his sponsors.”
The Department of State Services (DSS) has invited the suspended Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa.
Facts about the acting Chairman
Mohammed Umar Abba was born June 22, 1965 in Tudunwada Local Government Area of Kano State. He bagged his first degree from Bayero University, Kano.
His one year national service was at the old Anambra State Police Command. He later got enlisted into the Nigeria Police Force.
He attended the Nigeria Police Academy, Kaduna State, where he was commissioned in 1992.
CP Abba was seconded to the Commission in January 2016 to head the Counterterrorism and General Investigations (CTGI) section of EFCC at the Headquarters in Abuja.
He was appointed the Director of Operations of the Commission in 2017, a position he held till 2020 when he took over from Ibrahim Magu as acting Chairman.
Reactions on Social Media to Bawa’s suspension
Popular social media critic Daniel Regha said:
“Tinubu suspending the EFCC Chairman means nothing; Bawa was incompetent but let’s not pretend like Tinubu is suspending anyone to fight corruption or fix Nigeria. There’s an ulterior motive. If Tinubu & this administration are serious, they should sack the INEC chairman (Yakubu).”
Dr Olisa Agbakoba believes President Tinubu should follow up on the removal of Mr Bawa with the shaking up INEC due to how the 2023 elections went.
He said: “Full congratulations go to President Tinubu for getting rid of Emefiele, Bawa, fuel subsidy, and forex corruption. Endemic corruption has suffered a massive blow. Next, it is for the president to dismantle INEC. Everyone will agree that logistically, the 2023 elections are the worst in our history. I do not refer to the merits of the election results. Many results are disputed and are in tribunals. Both petitioners and respondents suffered at the hands of an incompetent INEC…”
NEFERTITI @firstladyship indicates; “All Abdulrasheed Bawa did was go after Yahoo Boys. Yahoo Men move around with DSS escort. They have access to the Villa. Why are Madam Palliatives & Hadi Sirika free? Suspending EFCC Chairman now? it came too late. You should have announced his suspension like Subsidy removal.”
Mahdi Shehu believes; “SUSPENSION OF EFCC CHAIRMAN: Darkness chases away light. 80% of 9th Assembly & 32% of 10th members are under investigation. 85% of PMB’S appointees are on Efcc radder. So also 70% of former governors. Most of those waiting for appointments have cases to answer. HOW CAN BAWA SURVIVE?”
SportsDokita says; “For those jumping up that Tinubu has suspended EFCC Chairman, Bawa. Tinubu that’s going after everyone that messed with him one after the other, systematically dismantling them. He wants to fight corruption and Hadiri is still a free man, the senator and his wife’s judge are still flexing. Una too dey funny me for this country.”
Deji Adeyanju on his part advice; “The DSS must release Emefiele and Bawa or charge them to court. The era of political prisoners should be gone forever. The Tinubu government should not be a lawless one like that of Buhari where people are detained unconstitutionally without trial.”
