President Bola Tinubu has suspended the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, from office indefinitely.
This was announced in a statement released this night by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
The statement signed by Willie Bassey, Director of Information at the SGF’s office, added that the EFCC boss’ suspension resulted from “weighty allegations of abuse of office levelled against him.”
The suspension was “to allow for proper investigation into his conduct while in office.”
Bawa was 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.”
Last month, the immediate-past governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle, accused the EFCC boss of demanding $2 million as a bribe from him.
The anti-corruption agency in May revealed that it was investigating Matawalle for a N70 billion fraud.
Bawa took over the helms of affairs at the commission in 2021 under similar circumstances when his predecessor, Ibrahim Magu, was suspended from office by then-President Muhammadu Buhari, over allegations of corruption.
Bawa is the second major appointee of former President Buhari to be suspended by Tinubu, the first being Godwin Emefiele, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.
The SGF’s full statement below:
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY TO THE GOVERNMENT OF THE FEDERATION
14th June, 2023
PRESS RELEASE
PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU SUSPENDS BAWA INDEFINITELY FROM OFFICE AS CHAIRMAN ECONOMIC & FINANCIAL CRIMES COMMISSION
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has approved the indefinite suspension from office of Mr. AbdulRasheed Bawa, CON, as the Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to allow for proper investigation into his conduct while in office.
2. This follows weighty allegations of abuse of office levelled against him.
3. 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.
Willie Bassey
Director, Information