- Bawa was arrested by the Department of State Service (DSS) on June 14, 2023, hours after his suspension from office as EFCC Chairman
The Department of State Service has freed embattled ex-EFCC boss, Abdulrasheed Bawa, after over 134 days in custody.
WITHIN NIGERIA recalls that Bawa was arrested by the Department of State Service (DSS) on June 14, 2023, hours after his suspension from office as EFCC Chairman by President Bola Tinubu over alleged abuse of office.
Since his arrest and detention, the Secret Police didn’t formally prefer any charge against him or say his specific offence.
He was released on Wednesday night from detention.
His release is coming on the heel of the confirmation of his replacement.
The Senate had recently confirmed Mr. Ola Olukoyede as EFCC Chairman.
Olukayode, a seasoned lawyer with over twenty-two (22) years experience. He is a regulatory compliance consultant and specialist in fraud management and corporate intelligence with extensive experience in the operations of the EFCC.
The red chamber also confirmed the appointment of Muhammad Hammajoda as the Secretary of the anti-graft agency.
The confirmation of both men followed their screening by the upper chamber about a week after they were appointed by President Bola Tinubu.
In another development, the new Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, on Tuesday, directed personnel of the Commission to declare their assets in line with civil service regulations and procedures.
The EFCC’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, revealed in a statement that Olukoyede gave the directive at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
“All of us are going to declare our assets; from level 17, downward. I did mine, so there’s no reason for anyone to be afraid to do the same.
“Even the commission secretary did, you all may also have done it in the past, but there’s a need for all of us to do it again.
“We will declare our assets, and we are going to investigate it. We must live above board by setting the pace with good examples. As anti-corruption fighters, our hands must be clean, so we must declare our assets,” the statement quoted Olukoyede as saying.
Olukoyede who called on the staff of the Commission to pay more attention to the basis of fighting economic and financial crimes also charged personnel to be professional, thorough in their engagements, rich in integrity and non-partisan.