THE WILL NIGERIA
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has denied the allegation that its chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, has a penchant for flouting court orders.
The anti-graft agency was reacting to a series of protests, especially in Lagos and Abuja, by Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), demanding the removal of Bawa.
Speaking at a briefing on Tuesday, in Abuja, EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, said the groups carrying out the protests have no interest in the fight against corruption.
He said the commission believed it was denied a fair hearing and that as a law-abiding institution, the EFCC had approached the appellate court, for a stay of execution on the committal order against Bawa.
Uwujaren alleged that the protests were sponsored against the EFCC chairman to discredit his person.
According to him, the protesters’ 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.
He maintained that those claiming that Bawa has a penchant for flouting court orders are simply up to mischief, which he (Uwujaren) said is clearly the central theme of the plot by the so-called civil society group.
He said: “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.
