AbdulRasheed Bawa: Buhari told to overhaul EFCC

The Coalition of anti-Corruption Organisations on Friday urged President Muhammadu Buhari to overhaul the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over purported consistent disobedience to court orders.

Mr Olufemi Lawson, Convener of the coalition comprising about fifty Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), and Chairman, Centre for Public Accountability, stated this at a news conference in Lagos.

Lawson said the EFCC under Mr AbdulRasheed Bawa supposedly had a penchant for disobedience to lawful court orders and had politicised activities of the commission.

He said, “For the EFCC to recover its past glory, it must retrace its steps with the President overhauling its leadership.

“It’s even more worrisome that this blatant disobedience to valid court orders is coming on the heels of efforts by stakeholders to galvanise more support for the war against corruption in the country.

“We, hereby, demand that President Buhari takes immediate steps to ensure that EFCC doesn’t derail his avowed commitment to the rule of law and respect for the fundamental rights of citizens by removing Mr Bawa as the chairman of the commission.”

This is coming after a Kogi State High Court in Lokoja had on Monday ordered the arrest and remand of Bawa in prison for not obeying a court order.

However, the EFCC has since filed a motion at the Court of Appeal to stop the execution of the judgment.