Abdulkarim Chukkol Takes Over as Acting Chairman, EFCC

• Group faults Bawa’s suspension 

 Kingsley Nwezeh and  Alex Enumah in Abuja

Following the suspension of  Abdulrasheed Bawa as the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by the federal government, the commission has formally announced the Acting Chairman of the anti-graft agency, Mr Abdulkarim Chukkol.

A statement signed by the spokesman of the commission, Wilson Uwujaren, announced that Chukkol has taken over as the acting chairman.

“Following Tuesday, June 14, 2023, suspension of Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa, as Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission by the Federal Government, Mr. Abdulkarim Chukkol has stepped in as Acting Chairman of the Commission.

“Until this new role, he was the Director of Operations of the Commission.

“A pioneer staff of the commission and an illustrious member of the EFCC Cadet Course One, Mr. Chukkol is a consummate and vastly experienced investigator with specialty in cybercrime and money laundering”.

It stated that his  command appointments in the commission include spells as Head of the Advance Fee Fraud and Cybercrime Sections of the Lagos and Abuja Zonal Commands between 2011 -2016, pioneer Commander of the Uyo Zonal Command in 2017 and Commander of Port Harcourt Zonal Command in 2020.

The statement noted that Chukkol  participated in several special operations with international law enforcement organisations  and maintains close relationship with Law enforcement agencies such as the FBI, UK National Crime Agency, United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), United States Secret Service, Australian Federal Police, Dutch Police, German Police, South African Police etc.

The acting EFCC Boss has worked closely with other governments to develop law and infrastructure for carrying out law enforcement actions. 

He is Nigeria’s Contact person  at the International Mass Marketing Fraud Working Group representing key Government regulatory, law enforcement, prosecution, immigration and customs, financial intelligence, consumer protection agencies as well and trade and competition bureaus dealing with mass marketing-related issues from Spain, Nigeria, Belgium, Europol, Canada, United Kingdom and the United States.

He has attended several courses, seminars and workshops on public corruption, advance fee fraud and other economic and financial crimes both locally and internationally, including the Oxford University, United Kingdom, in 2022.

His work and initiatives over the years have earned him several awards and commendations both locally and internationally, including “the Most Outstanding Award in Operations” by the EFCC and the “Outstanding Performance Award” by the United States Department of Justice, among others”, the statement said.

The acting EFCC Chairman, holds a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Maiduguri (2000) and Post Graduate Certificate in Criminal Justice Education from the University of Virginia, United States as well as Graduate Diploma in Cybersecurity and Spectrum Management from the United States Telecommunication Training Institute, Washington DC, United States.

He is also an alumnus of the FBI National Academy, Quantico; European Center of Security Studies, Germany and a Fellow of the War College, Nigeria.

Meanwhile, a civil rights advocacy group, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), yesterday, faulted Tinubu’s suspension of Bawa, over investigation bordering on fraud and breach of office 

The group which described the action of the president as been hasty, noted that Bawa’s removal without a reference to the National Assembly and without fair hearing had reduced the EFCC to “a political football pitch of the All Progressives Congress (APC).”

HURIWA in a statement lamented that with the suspension of Bawa by  Tinubu on Wednesday, June 14, 2023, what some scholars termed as the vicious circle of embarrassing ends has continued for EFCC bosses, adding that it was a scenario that “poses significant threat to the integrity of the institutional platform that is statutorily charged with combating corruption and abuse of power.”

The Rights group said it is indeed antithetical that heads of EFCC that should live above “Ceaser’s wife” ordinarily are often sacrificed at the altar of self centred political interests of each of the previous Presidents except Chief Olusegun Obasanjo who set up the EFCC and almost all of them are accused of corruption and then the story ends as soon as they vacated their office and business continues as usual with another successor.” 

The rights group in the statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, warned the president to halt “further vindictive politics and be a statesman and father of all citizens including his critics.”