Allegations of Bribery: Step Aside Now , Ohaneze tells Bawa, EFCC Boss

By Abdulateef Bamgbose

Ohaneze, the Igbo Social Cultural group has called on the embattled Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, ( EFCC), to step aside from the office as his continuous staying in office has become a burden to the anti – corruption crusade of president Muhammad Buhari’s administration.

In a press statement signed by Okwu Nnabuike , the President of Ohaneze youths World wide says EFCC under Bawa now a subject of ridicule

According to the Igbo Social Cultural group

” In the past couple of days, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youths Council Worldwide has watched with dismay the drift currently going on at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

” Needless to say that we are not so surprised owing to the fact that in the not so distant past, we had raised the alarm that the EFCC czar, Abdulrasheed Bawa, was merchandising the anti-graft commission.” It noted

The group noted that ” This came to the fore when he unleashed the commission on Senator Ike Ekweremadu, a victim of circumstance, who was then facing charges in the United Kingdom.

The EFCC under Bawa has never charged Ekweremadu for any crime, but while the lawmaker was in far away UK, he rushed and misled a Nigerian court to confiscate all his properties. Thank God that the court later reversed itself. This is just one of the major unholy and sponsored jobs of the EFCC under Bawa.”

Continuing the group stated that ” in the history of the EFCC, no chairman of the commission has ever come under public scrutiny in such a short period of time like Bawa.

The same goes for many of the staff under him, justifying the aphorism, ‘like father like son’. A few days ago, it was even reported that two of the staff members killed another colleague while they were fighting for exhibits. This shows how dirty the commission has become.”

It futher stated that ” Apart from the corruption fight taking a nosedive under Bawa, it is also no longer news that the EFCC under him has totally become a tool for political witchhunt, it is now merely being used to settle political scores.”

The group reinstates it call on the EFCC boss , Bawa to step aside saying ” Based on the foregoing, it is time for Bawa to pack his luggages and step aside as the Chairman of the EFCC. We even expected that he should have resigned on his own volition judging by some weighty allegations against him. ”

“However, since he is obstinate about towing the path of honour, we advise President Muhammadu Buhari to do the needful by purging his government of all the ridicule brought upon his avowed anti-corruption stance by Bawa and the EFCC under him.”

“But should Buhari fail to do so, the President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu should consider it as one of his very first assignments- to make Bawa step aside and face investigation. This is the only way Nigerians would rekindle their hope on the anti-graft commission”