Bawa

Press release

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has described claims that Abdulrasheed Bawa its chairman-designate was once arrested and detained over illegal sale of petroleum tanker trucks while he was the head of the Port Harcourt office of the Commission.

Bawa, who currently  heads the Lagos zonal office of EFCC was on Tuesday, nominated by President Muhammadu Buhari for Senate confirmation as the next substantive chairman of the anti-corruption agency.

The story that Bawa was arrested and detained over illegal sale of over 200 petroleum tanker trucks published by an online newspaper some months ago surfaced following the nomination of Bawa for confirmation as the chairman of the commission by the President

Wilson Uwujaren, spokesperson for EFCC in a statement, described the report that Bawa was involved in sale of trucks as illogical since he was not involved in disposal of assets seized by the Commission.

The anti- graft agency also said Bawa has left the Port Harcourt office of EFCC where he allegedly carried out the illegal disposal of trucks before the action was carried out.

See the full statement below:

The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has been drawn to a report by an online publication, Peoples Gazette, alleging that Mr Adulrasheed Bawa, the Chairman-designate of the Commission, was arrested and detained by the Agency under former Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, over illegal sale of 244 forfeited trucks to proxies in Port Harcourt.

The publication claims that the illegal sale was uncovered by the suspended Secretary to the Commission, Ola Olukoyede, who alerted the former chairman, Ibrahim Magu, leading to Bawa’s detention and subsequent redeployment to the EFCC Academy, Abuja.

The Commission wishes to state categorically that, Mr Bawa was never arrested or detained over the sale of any assets. As Zonal Head of the Port Harcourt Office of the Commission in 2019, Bawa’s responsibilities did not include the sale of assets as the Commission has a full-fledged Directorate of Assets Forfeiture and Recovery Management, which remit such matters reside.

For the avoidance of doubt, the disposal of finally forfeited trucks in the Port Harcourt Zonal Office through a public auction was conducted after the exit of Bawa as Zonal Head. It is therefore illogical for him to have been indicted over an auction that was not superintended by him.