Corrupt Persons Behind Anti-Bawa Protests – EFCC

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has said that some corrupt people were behind the ongoing protests against its chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa.

The EFCC, which raised the alarm about what it described as the activities of an amorphous group of so-called civil society organizations (CSOs), who have recently embarked on a campaign of street protests calling for the removal of the chairman of the EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa, said this was the handiwork of some unnamed corrupt persons.

Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, the commission’s spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, said the activities of the group were aimed at discrediting the EFCC chairman and inciting the public against the anti-graft commission.

He stated that, contrary to the claims of the protesters that they were motivated by the need to strengthen the fight against corruption, the “group have no interest in the fight against Corruption and their allusion to disobedience of court orders by the EFCC chairman is an alibi to manipulate facts around judicial pronouncements and processes to pitch the public against the Commission.”

The EFCC spokesman said: “information available to the commission, indicates that the group is sponsored by persons under investigation by the commission and have been mobilized and mandated by their paymaster to embarrass the person of the chairman through choreographed street protests across the country, until he is removed from office.”

He noted that “It is significant that this group found its voice after the EFCC launched an investigation into the mindless looting of the treasury of one of the states. This same group shouted that the commission lacked the power to investigate the theft of the state’s resources.”

Uwujaren expressed worry that the spectre of rented crowds, rented CSOs, among others, were blights in our social fabric and manifest demonstration of how deep-seated corruption has permeated every sector of our society.

He appealed to the public to disregard the campaign by the group as they do not represent the genuine interest of millions of Nigerians who are desirous of seeing progress in the fight against corruption.

Addressing the claims that the anti-corruption commission had been disobeying court orders, the EFCC spokesperson reiterated that the commission has never and will not take any steps to undermine the judiciary.

He added, “As a law abiding institution, EFCC has conducted all its activities within the ambit of the law. Where judicial decisions were made against it, it has never resorted to self-help but availed itself of remedies under the law as it did in the instant case of committal orders of court.”