Protests against EFCC Chair Sponsored, Says Commission

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), yesterday, raised the alarm that there was a sponsored campaign against its chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, by some people under investigation by the agency.

It said the unnamed individuals were behind the protests by Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) calling for the sack of the chairman.

The alarm came as protests for the removal and arrest of the EFCC boss from office entered day three on Monday.

At a media briefing in Abuja, spokesman of the anti-graft agency, Wilson Uwujaren, said the groups were sponsored by those under investigation by EFCC.

“The EFCC wishes to raise the alarm about the activities of an amorphous group of so-called civil society organisations, who have recently embarked on a campaign to discredit the person of the Chairman of the EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa and incite the public against the commission.

“The group, through press conferences and staged street protests, have been calling for the sack of the EFCC Chairman for alleged disobedience of court orders. They claim they are motivated by the need to strengthen the fight against corruption,” he said.

Uwujaren further noted that contrary to the claims, the EFCC said the group in question had no interest in the fight against corruption, adding that their allusion to disobedience of court orders by the EFCC chairman was an alibi to manipulate facts around judicial pronouncements and processes to pitch the public against the commission.

His words: “Information available to the commission indicates that the group is sponsored by persons under investigation by the commission and have been mobilised 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.

“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.

“Their latest dance in the market square came a few hours after family members of a sitting state governor were arraigned at an Abuja court for allegedly stealing the state’s funds,” he said.

The anti-graft agency therefore appealed to the “public to disregard the campaign by the groups as they do not represent the genuine interest of millions of Nigerians, who are desirous of seeing progress in the fight against corruption.

“The spectre of rented crowd, rented CSOs, etcetera are blights in our social fabric and manifest demonstration of how deep-seated corruption has permeated every sector of our society.”