Corruption: Call For Removal Of EFCC’s Bawa Plot To Stall Investigations – CSOs

By Progress Godfrey, Abuja

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) under the auspices of Alliance for Eradication of Corruption, have kicked against calls for the removal of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa. 

The coalition made their stand known at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, describing as flimsy, the excuse of “selective disobedience to court rulings” under which the call for Bawa’s removal was hinged. 

Executive Director of African Leadership Strategy & Transparency Development Initiative, Nelson Ossaieze who delivered the statement for the coalition, said the action did not call for Bawa’s removal, but for the complainant to approach a court and seek contempt. 

Ossaieze noted that under Bawa, Nigeria achieved tremendous milestones in the anti-corruption fight.

“Under same Bawa, the commission has recorded 3,785 convictions and still counting, but to our surprise this was not celebrated by anyone but rather a frivolous call for his removal is what we are seeing,” he said. 

“The call for sack and removal of Bawa at this transition period is a wrong idea that will further defeat the already established fight against some political office holders, most of whom will no longer enjoy immunity and thus makes investigation easily done.

“Bawa should be allowed to complete the ongoing investigation of some of the political office holders, including that of the ruling party, ” he further stated. 

Ossaieze claimed that the call for Bawa’s removal was coming from the political class that he (Bawa) investigated. 

He, therefore, advised the outgoing government of President Muhammadu Buhari to disregard such calls and allow Bawa to continue the good work he was doing.  

He further urged the president-elect, Bola Tinubu to pay deaf ears to naysayers “as Bawa will no doubt assist in bringing to book and make to face justice, hidden corruption, and recovery of loots that the government will need to stabilize with because we can’t be on a borrowing spleen again as a nation.”

The coalition therefore passed a vote of confidence on the EFCC Chair, Bawa.