A coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs) have declared that “watching what has been going on in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) since the appointment of Abdulrasheed Bawa, one cannot help but feel sad that something sinister is wrong somewhere in the management of the Commission.”
According to the CSOs, “His greatest undoing is his inability to resist the tendency for selective prosecution of accused persons, pre-emptive trial of suspects undergoing investigation and conferring above-the-law status to questionable individuals working within and outside the Commission.”
This was contained in a press statement jointly signed by the Arewa Transparency and Democratic Youths Initiatives (ATDYI’s) Com Salisu Yusuf; Northeast Youths Assembly (NYA’s) Com Sidi Babayali; Center for Rights, Justice and Democratic Integrity(CRJD’s) Dr. Nadabo Abdullahi Fargo; Middle Belt Forum for Good Governance (MFG’s) Barr Yakubu Jonah Ambali; Southeast Coalition for Leadership (SCL’s) Com Okafor Oguchwuku and Southwest Alliance for Innovation and Good Governance (SAIG’s) Com Babalola Shodipe Abayomi.
The statement read in part, “There are several instances where Bawa’s EFCC became the accuser, prosecutor and the judge in handling certain cases; such cases are all above the online media including SaharaReporters.
“We are, therefore, giving Bawa 24-hour ultimatum to honourably resign from office or be ready to face mass action against his continuous stay in office to be coordinated by the Coalition for Pro-democracy/Human Rights groups and Coalition of Nigerians against corruption.
“We shall organise a protest match to the EFCC’s office and other select offices of the Commission and anti-graft agencies across Nigeria to register our disapproval with the grave disobedience to the judgement of the Federal High Court and other Courts sentencing Mr. Bawa for contempt.”
