Tinubu, head of EFCC meet in presidential villa

On May 31, PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu met behind closed doors with the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. The meeting was held in the presence of the President’s Chief of Staff.

The agenda of the meeting could not be determined at the time this report was filed; however, there are indications that it might not be unconnected with the altercation that took place on Tuesday, May 30 between the Department of State Services (DSS) and the EFCC.

On Tuesday, May 30, it was reported that the DSS and the EFCC got into a fight over an office block in Lagos. After agents of the security agency had blocked access to the office of the anti-graft commission, a clash broke out as a result.

During the incident, according to reports, agents of the DSS prevented employees of the EFCC from entering their offices and prevented those employees from leaving.

It has been established that the DSS and the EFCC shared office space in the building located at No. 15A Awolowo Road in Ikoyi.

In response to reports on the event that were posted on the DSS’s official Twitter page, the DSS issued a statement that was signed by its spokesperson, Peter Afunanya, saying that it did not prevent EFCC staff from having access to their offices. The statement was posted on the DSS’s official website.

Instead, the DSS stated that the building in question was one of its properties.

In addition, the DSS emphasized that there is no competition between itself and the EFCC in regard to anything.

However, in its response, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) described the DSS siege on its office in Lagos as shocking.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) asserted that the actions of the DSS hampered the nation’s efforts to combat economic and financial crime.

The response of the EFCC was provided in a statement that was signed by Wilson Uwujaren, who serves as the Commission’s Spokesperson.

According to the Commission, it had successfully coexisted with the DSS in the same building for a period of twenty years without causing any conflicts.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) added that the siege does not comport with the synergy that is anticipated from agencies that work for the same government and nation.

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After that, Tinubu issued an order to the DSS telling them to immediately vacate the office.

The information regarding the directive was made public in a statement that was distributed by Tunde Rahman, who is Tinubu’s media aide, later on Tuesday, May 30.

The President stated that any disagreements that may arise between the two government agencies must be settled in a friendly manner.

CSOs are demanding that the chairman of the EFCC be fired.
The meeting between Tinubu and Bawa takes place at a time when some civil society organizations are demanding that the chairman of the EFCC be fired.

The civil society organizations (CSOs), which have been staging protests, allege that the EFCC is corrupt and inefficient under Bawa’s leadership.

The Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), led by Debo Adeniran, Chairman of the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL), and representing over 150 different organizations, observed that the EFCC has evolved into a mechanism for settling political scores.

They demanded that Bawa step down from his position as district attorney and argued that it is common practice across the globe for public officials who are suspected of engaging in serious misconduct to step down from their positions while investigations are ongoing.

The organization demanded a comprehensive investigation into the activities of the EFCC under Bawa over the past three years, including an analysis of records of arrests, investigations, outcomes, and final closure of each incident and individual suspects, as well as an investigation into how the matters were ultimately resolved.

Bawa has also been engaged in an ongoing conflict with Bello Matawalle, who served as the previous governor of Zamfara State. The conflict centres on allegations of corruption.

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While Bawa accused Matawalle of being involved in ”monumental corruption,” the governor accused the EFCC chairman of trying to extort $2 million in bribe money from him.

The accusation was brought up by the governor during an interview with the BBC Hausa Service.