Northern Group Expresses Support For EFCC Chair’s Anti-Corruption Efforts

In the face of corruption allegations levied against the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Abdulrasheed Bawa, a prominent Northern group, the Concerned Northern Forum (CNF), has reaffirmed its commitment to stand by him and urged him to remain focused on the fight against corruption.

Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State recently accused Bawa of soliciting a $2 million bribe, an allegation that the EFCC promptly dismissed.

In a statement released on Monday in Abuja, the CNF, through its chairman, Muhammad Sanni, labeled the corruption allegations against the EFCC boss as baseless, orchestrated by corrupt individuals seeking to tarnish his reputation and divert his attention from combating corruption and related financial crimes.

Sanni insisted that the allegations lacked substance and evidence, and were being circulated by individuals fearful of the EFCC’s scrutiny into their embezzlement and misappropriation of public funds.

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The CNF chairman emphasised that Governor Matawalle’s accusations lacked credibility, as he failed to provide any supporting evidence. Sanni viewed the allegations as fabricated and part of a ploy by Matawalle to shift public focus away from his ongoing investigation regarding corruption allegations, phantom contracts, and the diversion of over N70 billion.

Addressing Bawa’s recent Hajj pilgrimage, the CNF chairman clarified that it was not a violation of public service rules, particularly since Bawa could afford the trip without compromising his duties. Thus, he said the group saw no reason to make it an issue.

The CNF denounced the ongoing allegations as smear campaigns driven by envy towards Bawa’s achievements as the youngest and only career chairman of the EFCC, speculating that those behind the accusations likely had their own skeletons to hide.

Sanni urged Nigerians not to be swayed by public protests or social media campaigns against the EFCC chairman, as such actions would wrongly signal to the international community that Nigeria condoned corrupt practices.