Breaking: Tinubu suspends Bawa as EFCC chairman

President Bola Tinubu has suspended AbdulRasheed Bawa as the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Bawa’s suspension was hinged on alleged weighty allegations against him.

The Director of Operations of the anti-graft agency has been mandated to take over from Bawa pending the outcome of the investigation.

The disclosure was made on Wednesday night in a statement issued by Willie Bassey, the Director of Information in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

The statement read: “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.

“This follows weighty allegations of abuse of office levelled against him.

“Mr Bawa has been directed to immediately hand over 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.”

The Star recalls that the immediate past governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle, on May 18, 2023, accused Bawa of demanding $2 million bribe from him.

“Let him vacate office, I am telling you within 10 seconds probably more than 200 people will bring evidence of bribe he collected from them. He knows what he requested from me but I declined.

“He requested a bribe of $2 million from me and I have evidence of this. He knows the house we met, he invited me and told me the conditions. He told me governors were going to his office but I did not. If I don’t have evidence, I won’t say this,” the former governor had said.

Reacting, the EFCC chairman, in a statement issued on May 19 by the spokesperson of the anti-graft agency, Wilson Uwujaren, said Matawalle should go beyond the accusation by providing concrete evidence as proof of his allegations.

The Star

Segun Ojo