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From Fred Itua, Abuja
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and over 30 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have raised the alarm over alleged sponsored attacks on the anti-graft agency and its chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja yesterday, spokesperson for the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, alluded the sponsored attacks to elements from Kogi State Government, following the arrest and ongoing prosecution of relatives to the governor, Yahaya Bello.
At another separate briefing, Dominic Ogakwu, convener of over 30 Civil Society Groups, said a protest in solidarity with the EFCC, will be held next week.
EFCC spokesman, while detailing the tactics employed by the sponsored protesters, said their intention is to blackmail Bawa and force him to resign.
“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 were motivated by the need to strengthen the fight against corruption,” Uwujaren noted.
He added: “Contrary to these claims, the EFCC wishes to alert the public that these grobys have no interest in the fight against corruption and their allusion to disobedience of court orders by the EFCC chairman is an alibi to manipulate facts around judicial pronouncements and processes to pitch the public against the Commission.
“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.
“For the benefit of the public, the said order of the FCT High Court was given three years before Abdulrasheed Bawa became EFCC chairman. Also, the contempt process is quasi criminal in nature and must be served on the person involved. In this case, Bawa as chairman of the EFCC, was neither served Form 48 nor Form 49.
“Despite this fact, the Executive Chairman, upon being made aware of the said order of November 21, 2018 had released the Range Rover in question to the Applicant on June 27, 2022 and had approved the process of the release of the remaining N40 million before the committal order was issued.
“In the case of the last order by Justice R.O. Ayoola of the Kogi State High Court, the processes are still ongoing, so I am constrained to make categorical statements.
Suffice is to say that in invoking Form 49, the court failed to take cognisance of a pending appeal of its ruling of November 30, which directed the commission to produce a fraud suspect, one Ali Bello. It also failed to transmit records of appeal to the Court of Appeal.
“The Commission believes it was denied fair hearing as the alleged infringement of the rights of the applicant happened in Abuja, which is outside the jurisdiction of the Kogi High Court. As a law abiding institution, EFCC approached the appellate court, for a stay of execution. This is a valid and lawful remedy and does not evoke any aura of impunity or disregard for the judiciary.
“It is, therefore, evident that those claiming that Bawa has a penchant for flouting court orders are simply up to mischief, which is clearly the central theme of the plot by the so-called civil society group,” Uwujaren said.
On his part, Ogakwu said: “It Is important to note that in 2015, the commission recorded about 103 convictions, 195 in 2016, 312 in 2018 and 1280 in 2019. It dropped to 976 in 2020, largely due to the COVID-19 restrictions.
“It wasn’t just about convictions as over $121 million worth of assets were forfeited to the federal government. In the same period, €156,925, ¥21,350 CFA300,000, 52 automobiles, one motorcycle, 57 electronic gadgets, 78 pieces of clothing were also recovered. With monetary recoveries for the year under review, from January 1 to October 31, 2022, put at N134,337,759,574.
“The Bawa-led leadership has not just been about arrests and prosecutions, but advocacy and sensitisation on the damaging effect of crime and criminality to schools, youth focused groups and religious centres. This has led to greater awareness and aversion to Yahoo-Yahoo and get-quick rich syndrome.
“With barely some days to the general elections, we have noted the doggedness of the anti-graft agency to ensure that Nigerians elect their leaders without vote-buying by some unscrupulous politicians, hence, the ill-conceived, poorly executed call being sponsored by some governors and their presidential candidate against the EFCC chairman. Those who have stashed the stolen patrimony of the people can gather all their tout-like, mushrooms of slanderers, and falsehood peddlers, but they know that they are being watched and all their efforts amount to nothing.”
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