Ousted EFCC Chair, Bawa Denied Access to Lawyer, Family

OVER a month after his arrest by the Department of State Services (DSS), suspended chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Abdulrasheed Bawa has been denied access to lawyers and family members.

Bawa, it was also reliably gathered, has also not made any statement to the Service since his arrest.

This is coming as former CBN governor Godwin Emiefele, who was arrested about the same time as Bawa by the secret service, was last Friday, July 14, charged to court for illegal possession of arms. 

Bawa and Emiefele are believed to have gotten into trouble with the newly elected Bola Tinubu government for the role they played in the naira change policy believed to be targeted at the All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate, who eventually emerged winner in the 2023 presidential election.

The DSS invited and detained Bawa on Thursday, June 14, over undisclosed allegations. 

The invitation followed Bawa’s indefinite suspension by President Bola Tinubu.

A statement released on Thursday, June 14, by the spokesperson of the DSS, Peter Afunanya, stated that Bawa had acknowledged the invitation and arrived at the facility of the Service.

According to Afunanya, “Bawa arrived a few hours ago. The invitation relates to some investigative activities concerning him.”

A source close to the suspended anti-graft agency boss told our reporter that Bawa had not been told the specific offence he committed, but there have been speculations that the major reason why he was removed and detained is due to the role he played in the attempt to scuttle the emergence of Tinubu as the candidate of the APC and eventual President of Nigeria. 

The former EFCC boss is believed to have written a memo to former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, which led to redesigning the naira, which Tinubu alleged was targeted at scuttling his presidential bid.

The policy immediately brought a lot of hardship to the citizens.

Our source claimed that the DSS has not asked Bawa to make any statement so far. However, an operative of the secret service said Bawa is the one refusing to make a statement.