Arewa Civil Society Organisation and Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) have commended President Bola Tinubu for suspending Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, while urging complete overhaul of the Commission for efficiency.
Chairman, Arewa Civil Society Organisation, Adamu Aminu Musa told journalists in Kaduna that the suspension and subsequent arrest of Bawa for alleged fraud and abuse of power is long overdue, while urging the President to carry out a thorough probe and holistic overhaul of the Commission to remove some officials who may have been complicit in the alleged fraud and abuse of office and may hinder the Commission’s anti-graft operations.
“The suspension of Abdulrasheed Bawa is long overdue because Bawa has constantly and continuously abuse and misuse his powers and office, engaging in various corrupt practices. As EFCC Chairman, Bawa failed to comply with Section 6 of the Establishment Act 2004 which empowers EFCC to combat economic and financial crimes, hence, suspending him is the first step towards making things right in the fight against corruption.
“Now that the President has listened to our earlier stance, we must commend him for taking this bold and righteous decision. Most of our grievances that made us took that stance, are the reasons the DSS invited the suspended Chairman for questioning. They include charges of abuse of office, alleged selling dozens of petrol-bearing trucks confiscated from suspected looters, auctioning them off to his proxies at ridiculous prices while he was in charge of the Port Harcourt office of the EFCC and alleged violation of the code of conduct for public officers by owning properties beyond his legitimate income.
“During Bawa’s tenure as Chairman, EFCC did not obey court orders, rather they gave contrary orders that arm twist the banks, running a lot of interferences in corruption investigations in order to stop cases against friends, allies, family and anyone willing to play their dirty games, making money through plea bargain, with backing from his god father and with the support of Shehu Ala and one Rotimi Oyedepo, a lawyer within the Commission,” Musa said.
For the national president of AYCF, Alhaji Yerima Shettima, he expressed appreciation “for the swift action taken by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by suspending the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Abdulrasheed Bawa indefinitely, and ordering thorough investigation of the activities of the agency under his watch. And extend the measure to include a total overhaul of the EFCC to flush out remnants of Abdulrasheed Bawa’s accomplices entrenched in top positions of the agency.
“The move by Mr President is a reassurance of his government’s commitment to addressing the sceptre of endemic, widespread, corruption and political avarice that characterised the eight-year tenure of previous administration, attributable to a lack of application of relevant laws against corrupt practices among officials of the regime and apparent compromise of the EFCC under Abdulrasheed Bawa. We expect that his major accomplices such as his Chief of Staff, Hadiza Ibrahim Gamawa, be suspended and subjected to investigation and subsequent prosecution,” Shettima said.
