Headlines
Corruption Charges: EFCC Gives Bawa a Clean Bill of Health
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Tuesday absolved its new Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, of allegations of corruption.
A few hours after the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), appointed him as the EFCC chairman on Tuesday, there were reports of his involvement in corruption.
But the commission defended him, saying he had no corruption record.
The EFCC Spokesman, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, said this in a statement on Tuesday while reacting to reports that Bawa was arrested and removed from his position as Port Harcourt zonal head of the commission for allegedly diverting 224 forfeited trucks.
The PUNCH recalls that the diversion of 224 forfeited trucks was one of the allegations levelled against Magu which was brought up before the Salami-led panel.
Bawa was also said to have appeared before the panel over the issue but said he had no hand in the auction of the assets as it was supervised by a different department.
The EFCC statement titled, ‘Abdulrasheed Bawa Has No Corruption Record – EFCC’ read in part, “The commission wishes to state categorically that Mr Bawa was never arrested or detained over sale of any assets.
“As zonal head of the Port Harcourt office of the commission in 2019, Bawa’s responsibilities did not include the sale of assets as the commission has a full-fledged Directorate of Assets Forfeiture and Recovery Management, which remit such matters.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the disposal of finally forfeited trucks in the Port Harcourt zonal office through public auction, was conducted after the exit of Bawa as zonal head. It is therefore illogical for him to have been indicted over an auction that was not superintended by him.
“The auction of trucks at the Port Harcourt Office was among the issues examined by the Justice Ayo Salami Panel, leading to the suspension of some officers of the commission. The commission, therefore, enjoins the public to disregard the false publication which is believed to be sponsored by mischief makers to impugn the integrity of the EFCC chairman-designate.”
The PUNCH learnt that a shake-up was imminent at the EFCC following the appointment of 40-year-old Abdulrasheed Bawa as the substantive Chairman of the EFCC.
Bawa succeeded Ibrahim Magu, who was suspended in July 2020 when the President set up a panel led by Justice Ayo Salami (retd.) to investigate allegations of corruptions against him.
Bawa, who joined the EFCC in 2005 and who currently serves as the Head of the Lagos EFCC zonal office, still has several officials senior to him, most of whom are policemen including the current acting Chairman of the EFCC, Mr Umar Mohammed, who is 55 years old.
It was learnt that based on the Salami panel recommendation and in a bid to ensure that Bawa is given full control of the commission, many policemen would return to the Nigeria Police Force.
A former EFCC director, who spoke to The PUNCH, said Bawa, who is currently a deputy chief detective superintendent, would have been a Divisional Police Officer if he were in the police force.
He said it would thus be difficult for senior police officers some of whom are deputy and assistant commissioners, to take orders from him.
The former director said, “Bawa is a member of Course 1 which is the first set of the EFCC detectives. They have been reporting to police officers since 2005 when they joined the EFCC. Bawa currently reports to the Head of Operations, Umar Mohammed, who is the acting chairman.
“I would not expect Mohammed to turn around to begin to take orders from Bawa. In the coming weeks and months, policemen would return to the Force while the core EFCC staff members will take over. That is what the Salami panel recommended and the President is already implementing it.”
On Tuesday, The PUNCH learnt that the President was waiting for a White Paper on the report of the Salami panel to decide the fate of Magu.
It was further learnt that the fate of embattled Magu would be determined by the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof Ibrahim Gambari; and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), who had been saddled with the responsibility of producing the White Paper.
The Punch
The first hostages freed from Gaza under a long-awaited ceasefire agreement are back in Israel. The news sparked jubilant scenes in Tel Aviv where large crowds gathered ahead of their release.
The three freed Israeli hostages – the first of 33 to be released over the next six weeks – are Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari. They are said to be in good health and are receiving treatment at a medical center in Tel Aviv.
In exchange, 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees are set to be released by Israel from Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli military withdrew from several locations in southern and northern Gaza after the truce began earlier on Sunday, an Israeli military official told CNN.
Displaced Gazans have started returning to their homes, while the aid trucks laden with much-needed supplies have crossed into Gaza. Here’s what we know about how the ceasefire deal will work.
Hamas, despite suffering devastating losses, is framing the Gaza ceasefire agreement as a victory for itself, and a failure for Israel.
One of Hamas’ main goals for taking some 250 people during its brazen October 7, 2023, attack on Israel was to secure the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. As Israel pounded Gaza in response, Hamas vowed not to return the hostages until Israel withdrew its forces from the enclave, permanently ended the war, and allowed for rebuilding.
Source: CNN
The leader of UK’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has said she doesn’t want Britain to be like Nigeria that is plagued by “terrible governments.”
Speaking on Thursday at an event organised by Onward, a British think tank producing research on economic and social issues, Badenoch expressed fears that Britain may become like Nigeria if the system is not reformed.
“And why does this matter so much to me? It’s because I know what it is like to have something and then to lose it,” Badenoch told the audience.
“I don’t want Britain to lose what it has.
“I grew up in a poor country and watched my relatively wealthy family become poorer and poorer, despite working harder and harder as their money disappeared with inflation.
“I came back to the UK aged 16 with my father’s last £100 in the hope of a better life.
“So I have lived with the consequences of terrible governments that destroy lives, and I never, ever want it to happen here.”
Badenoch has been in the news of late after she dissociated herself from Nigeria, saying she has nothing to do with the Islamic northern region.
She also accused the Nigeria Police of robbing citizens instead of protecting them.
She said: “My experience with the Nigeria Police was very negative. Coming to the UK, my experience with the British Police was very positive.
“The police in Nigeria will rob us (laughter). When people say I have this bad experience with the police because I’m black, I say well…I remember the police stole my brother’s shoe and his watch.”
