EFCC Set To Arrest Governors, Two Ministers After May 29

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa,  has revealed that the anti-graft agency plans to go after some outgoing governors and other public officials after May 29.

The Publisher Nigeria reports that the second tenure of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration alongside that of some governors would come to an end on May 29, 2023.

The governors are among public officials that enjoy immunity and therefore could not be arrested or tried while in office.

Speaking in an interview with Daily Trust on Thursday, Bawa said more arrests would be made immediately after May 29.

The EFCC boss, however, refused to give names or the number of public officials that would be brought under the law.

Bawa also disclosed that at least two ministries are currently under the radar of the commission for fraudulent activities that border on procurement processes, adding that one of the ministries committed fraud on about 20 contracts to the tune of N4 billion.

Bawa said, “Currently, we’re investigating two ministries where double payments were made. In one of the ministries, the double payments, cumulatively, were about 20 contracts of over N4bn.

“These were contracts that were done way back 2018, and then some group of people, so bold, came up with the same narration.

“They moved the documents from the file, forged them, and then of course in conspiracy of some civil servants, raised vouchers and pay. How can that happen if we have digitalised procurement processes.”

Speaking on the agitations of some civil society organisations calling for his sack, the anti-corruption agency chairman stated he would not be intimidated by their actions.

The EFCC boss said, “It is on record that I am the first sitting EFCC chairman to go to court and testify, not once, not twice or three times. We now have some group of people that were paid, we know the people that are paying them, coming up with all sorts of gang-ups.

“We are following due process and the rule of law. The court had made a pronouncement, we have appealed that, and there is a stay of execution, what do you expect? We move on!

“How many of our cases were lost? We lost 41 and we got 3,785. What is there? What are we talking about? Who is losing? Who is not losing? Nobody is losing and nobody is winning. But it is like that!

“It happened in 2007, it happened in 2011, it happened in 2015, it happened in 2019 and it is happening in 2023. We’re students of history.

“People are just trying to tell the incoming government that they need to change the chairman, maybe because the chairman is doing the right things. It is just a question of corruption fighting back. Nothing more!

“But what they do not know is the fact that in the last couple of months, we have more than ever before tried to institutionalise the operational activities of the EFCC.

“Whether it is Bawa or not, the EFCC will continue to do those good works that they don’t want and those prosecutions we’re planning to do.

“And God willing, come May and June, we are going to make some huge arrests and commence huge prosecutions of people.

“And for those people that are not leaving in May, whenever they are leaving, we will be waiting for them to ensure that justice is done.”