Anti-Bawa Protests sponsored, says EFCC

The protest against Abdulrasheed Bawa, Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), are sponsored , according to Wilson Uwujaren, spokesman for the anti-graft agency,

Addressing journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, Uwujaren said the protests were being sponsored by persons under investigation by the commission.

He said the agency would not be distracted by their plots, calling on the public to disregard them.

He said, “It is significant that this group found its voice after the EFCC launched an investigation into the mindless looting of the treasury of one of the states. This same group shouted that the Commission lacked the power to investigate the theft of the state’s resources.

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“Their latest dance in the market square came a few hours after family members of a sitting state governor were arraigned at an Abuja court for allegedly stealing the state’s funds.”

Uwujaren explained that the FCT High Court order that Bawa was being accused of disrespecting was issued on November 21, 2018 three years before he became the chairman in which the court directed the release of seized assets comprising a Range Rover SUV and the sum of N40 million to the applicant.

“In this case, Bawa as chairman of the EFCC was neither served Form 48 nor Form 49.

“Despite this fact, the executive chairman, upon being made aware of the said order of November 21, 2018 had released the Range Rover in question to the applicant on the 27th of June, 2022 and had approved the process of the release of the remaining N40m before the committal order was issued,” Uwujaren added.

Some civil society organisations continued their protests in Lagos, on Tuesday.

The coalition began the call for the removal of the EFCC Chairman, Mr AbdulRasheed Bawa, on Sunday.

The CSOs continued their protests, vowing not to back down until the EFCC chairman is removed.

The protesters, who marched through the streets of Ikeja and converged on the Lagos State House of Assembly, Alausa, have also petitioned the National Assembly over the matter.

The petition was submitted through the Speaker of the state Assembly, Mudashir Obasa.

The protest is led 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; and Executive Director, Centre for Public Accountability, Olufemi Lawson; among others.

The CSOs also stated that they had uncovered plans by Bawa and his alleged sponsors to organise counterprotests by “supposed CSOs” to demonstrate “fake solidarity for an EFCC boss that had clearly become an embarrassment to Nigeria.”