The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been urged to immediately arraign its former Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, over multiple corruption allegations leveled against him.
This call was made by the Coalition of Activists Against Corruption in Nigeria (CAACIN) in a statement issued on Thursday and signed by the coalition's spokesperson, Comrade Ahmed Aliyu.
The coalition also challenged the Department of State Services (DSS) to release the full report of their investigation into Bawa, who was detained and interrogated for over four months in 2023.
"It is inconceivable to detain a man of his stature for five months without substantial grounds. We call on the DSS to make their findings public. Multiple corruption allegations against Bawa were known to both the EFCC and DSS. Nigerians cannot afford for these serious issues to be swept under the carpet," the statement read.
The coalition further demanded that the EFCC remove officials appointed by Bawa to "cleanse the institution."
President Bola Tinubu suspended Bawa as Acting EFCC Chairman in June 2023, just two weeks into his administration. On the same day, the DSS took Bawa into custody at their headquarters, known as Yellow House, where he was detained for 134 days without any public disclosure of reasons or the outcome of their investigation.
The coalition's call comes amid growing concerns about accountability in Nigeria's anti-corruption agencies and the need for transparency in high-profile investigations.
