EFCC Appeals Court Order Committing Chairman To Prison

Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa yesterday said the commission had appealed the verdict of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) ordering his remand at the Kuje Correctional Centre.

Bawa stated this at the National Assembly complex while fielding questions shortly after he appeared before the House Committee on Financial Crimes to defend the 2022 budget implementation and 2023 budget proposal.

“We have appealed against it already so we will allow the natural course of the law to take its effect,” he said.

Justice Chizoba Orji of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) yesterday convicted the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Abdulrasheed Bawa for contempt of court in relation to his agency’s failure to comply with an earlier order of the court.

In a ruling, the court held that “the chairman Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is in contempt of the orders of this honourable court made on November 21, 2018, directing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Abuja to return to the applicant his Range Rover (Super charge) and the sum of N40, 000,000 (forty million naira).

“Having continued wilfully in disobedience to the order of this court, he should be committed to prison at Kuje Correctional Centre for his disobedience and continued disobedience of the said order of court made on November 21, 2018, until he purges himself of the contempt.

“The inspector-general of police shall ensure that the order of this honourable court is executed forthwith,” the judge said.

Justice Orji rejected the arguments put forward by the lawyer to the EFCC, Francis Jirbo, to justify his client’s action.

The ruling was on a motion on notice marked: FCT/HC/M/52/2021 filed by Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Rufus Adeniyi Ojuawo, a one-time Director of Operations at the Nigerian Air Force (NAF).

Ojuawo had, in the motion filed by his lawyer, R.N. Ojabo, in a suit marked: FCT/HC/CR/184/2016 complained that the EFCC declined to comply with the order, for the release of his seized property, made by the court in a judgment delivered on November 21, 2018.

He was accused of corruptly receiving gratification to the tune of N40 million and a Range Rover Sport (Supercharged) valued at N29,250, 000 from one Hima Aboubakar of Societe D’Equipment Internationaux Nigeria Limited.

But, in a judgment on November 21, 2018, Justice Idris discharged and acquitted Ojuawo on the grounds that the prosecution failed to prove its case.

Meanwhile, during the budget defence session, Bawa appealed for additional funding for project work at the EFCC academy.

He urged the committee to allocate more funds to the commission in the 2023 budget to enable it to establish the proposed EFCC academy.

The EFCC boss explained that this would enable the commission to train its personnel to be a step ahead of criminals.

Bawa said he would seek the approval of the Federal Executive Council today for the commencement of projects at the proposed academy.

“We need an administrative block, parade ground, sports complex, housing for the staff, hostels, and lecture halls as well as computers,” he said.

He said the anti-graft agency would not optimally fight the war against corruption with abysmally low budget.