Suspended EFCC Chairman, Bawa, Detained

The suspended chairperson of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, has submitted himself for interrogation by Nigeria’s secret police, the State Security Service (SSS).

This followed an earlier “invitation” of Mr Bawa by the SSS a few hours after President Bola Tinubu suspended him on Wednesday.

“The invitation relates to some investigative activities concerning him,” Peter Afunanya, the Public Relations Officer of SSS, said in a statement.

The SSS’ statement, which was tweeted via the agency’s Twitter handle at 10.48 pm on Wednesday, said Mr Bawa “arrived for interrogation a few hours ago.

Mr. Bawa presumably honoured the invitation at the SSS headquarters in Abuja from where Mr Afunaya issued his statement on Wednesday.

Earlier on Wednesday, the office of the Secretary to the Government of Federation (SGF) had said in a statement signed by Willie Bassey, Director of Information, said the EFCC boss’ suspension resulted from “weighty allegations of abuse of office levelled against him.

Without giving details of the allegations against Mr Bawa, the statement said the anti-graft official needed to step aside “to allow for proper investigation into his conduct while in office".

According to the statement, Mr Bawa has been directed to “immediately hand over the affairs of his office to the Director, Operations in the Commission, who will oversee the affairs of the office of the Chairman of the Commission pending the conclusion of the investigation"