Exposed! Ex South South Governor, Police, Behind Media War Against New EFCC Chairman, Bawa

The campaign of calumny against Abdulrasheed Bawa, the youthful newly nominated chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, is being orchestrated by an ex Governor from the South South region of the country, The Street Journal has leant.

And the media is being used of carry out this hatchet job.

The Street Journal had reported a few days ago, how that Bawa’s nomination by President Muhammadu Buhari to replace the embattled Ibrahim Magu was received with mixed reactions. 

While some felt it was a right decision and that Bawa would set a new pace for the commission given his vast experience in investigation and prosecution of Advance Fee fraud cases, official corruption, bank fraud, money laundering and other economic and financial crimes as a trained security operative; others were of the opinion that he is too young to chair such a sensitive position.

Some others felt a non northerner should have been nominated instead. Still yet, his nomination sent jitters down the spine of a few others who dread what he could possibly do if allowed to hold sway without any encumberance. Naturally, this last group of people have skeletons in their cupboards which explains their fears because Bawa handled most of the high corruption cases the country has ever known, all of which involves these group of people but he never wavered from the task at hand. Despite efforts by these highly placed people to compromise him, Bawa refused to take a bribe and remained resolute.

However, a former governor from the South South region who has a N1.3 trillion fraud case with the commission which was directly handled by Bawa at one point in his career, has resorted to a campaign of calumny to ensure that Bawa’s nomination doesn’t eventually sail through.

The ex governor in a bid to push his agenda, took his campaign of calumny to the media and is promising a handsome reward to anyone willing to circulate an unfounded story about Bawa.

A few media houses have taken the bait and have published the story of how Bawa was arrested and detained by the anti-graft agency in 2019 for selling at least 244 trucks worth between N20-30 million each to his proxies at N100,000 per unit, thereby depriving the country of at least N4.88 billion in potential loot recovery.

The story also has it that Bawa was removed as the Port Harcourt zonal head where this act was perpetrated and detained for several days before being asked to report at the EFCC training school in Abuja.

The anti graft commission quickly debunked the story, insisting that there is no iota of truth to it.

The diversion of 224 forfeited trucks was one of the allegations levelled against Magu which was brought up before the Salami-led panel.

Bawa according to the commission had no hand in the auction of the assets as it was supervised by a different department. It added in a statement that Bawa was never arrested or detained over the sale of any assets and that the disposal of the forfeited trucks was done through public auction, after the exit of Bawa as zonal head.

Not deterred by the anti graft body’s statement debunking the fake news, this ex South South governor has resorted to recruiting and lobbying some Senators to ensure that Bawa’s confirmation doesn’t sail through. he is willing to part with huge sums of money to see this happen. It remains to be seen if the Senators will dance to the tune of the ex governor.

Similarly, some members of the police force itself make up another group of people who have not well received the nomination of Bawa. And the reason is not far fetched. All the past chairmen of the anti graft body have been police officers who all have insights into the workings of the corruption that goes on in high places. And the police force always lobby for their superior officers to be posted to the EFCC so they can corruptly enrich themselves.

This is one of the many reasons the EFCC has lost its glory and has assumed a ‘cash and carry’ entity.

Unfortunately for this group of people, Bawa isn’t a police officer like his predecessors and he is without an appendage to anyone in the corridors of power. Thus, this makes him a breath of fresh air needed to fight the hydra headed monster called corruption, without fear as well as repositioning the commission to regain its past glory.

But when Bawa’s confirmation sails through, which it will, Nigerians will be pleasantly surprised to see that Bawa from his past records isn’t one to be easily intimidated despite his youthfulness. Those who know him well say he cannot be strong armed to bow to anyone’s wishes if it runs contrary to discharging his duties and he remains undaunted to deliver without minding whose ox is gored.