Hours After Suspension, Detention Bawa Still Listed On EFCC Website As ‘Current Executive Chairman’
The suspended Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa is still listed on the website of the anti-graft agency as Executive Chairman.
President Bola Tinubu had on Wednesday approved the suspension of Bawa as the chairman of EFCC and ordered a probe into his activities in the office.
The suspension was announced in a statement by Willie Bassey, director of information, office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
He said the suspension followed “weighty allegations of abuse of office levelled against him”, adding that Bawa should hand over to the director of operations in the commission.
The suspended EFCC boss was subsequently arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS).
However, a check on the anti-graft agency website (https://www.efcc.gov.ng/efcc/profile-of-former-and-current-chairmen/41-abdulrasheed-bawa-cfe-cams-3) around 10:30 am on Thursday showed that Bawa was still listed as ‘Executive Chairman’.
He also had all his details on the website.
“Abdulrasheed Bawa is the fourth Executive Chairman of the EFCC. He was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, on February 16, 2021, and confirmed by the Senate on February 24, 2021. His ascent to the exalted office holds much significance. He is the first regular EFCC personnel to have the privilege to mount the saddle. Others before him were either serving or retired police officers,” the post on the website read.
“Bawa’s emergence as EFCC boss is not fortuitous. The EFCC Chairman received his education at the Usman Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, where he earned a Second Class Honours (Upper Division) Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and a Master’s Degree in International Affairs and Diplomacy. He was recruited into the EFCC in 2004 as a member of the Cadet Officer Course 1, and trained at the Nigeria Police College Ikeja, Lagos.
“He worked in various sections of the Operations Department in the Lagos Command. Bawa was first appointed Team Leader and later Head of the Advance Fee Fraud Section, Lagos Command in May 2008. The appointment, no doubt, was significant as he became the first regular Detective to be appointed a Team Lead in the annals of the Commission. Later years saw Bawa’s appointment into other key positions, including Head of the Ibadan, Port Harcourt and later, Lagos Commands. Bawa has the personal distinction of being the only regular Operative to head three Commands of the Commission.
“Bawa was trained in a number of world-class institutions including the US Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA), the United Nations Office On Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the World Bank, the United States Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), KPMG and the State Security Service (SSS) among others.
“The EFCC Chairman is a member of several professional bodies, including the America-based Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) and the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (ACAMS).”
