The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday refuted allegations that the Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, is happy to disobey court orders.
There have been several protests, especially in Lagos and Abuja by Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), demanding the removal of the EFCC Chairman.
On Monday, more than 100 other CSO members took to the streets of Lagos to demand the sack of Bawa for violating human rights and disobeying court orders.
But speaking at a briefing in Abuja, the spokesperson of the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, said the group that carried out the protest was not interested in the fight against corruption.
He said the commission believes it was denied a fair trial and as a law abiding institution, the EFCC has approached the appeals court, to stay the execution.
Uwajaren, however, did not say whether a stay of execution had been granted to prevent Bawa’s arrest order by the Inspector General of Police.
He said the protest by over 100 anti-corruption Civil Society Organizations, which entered its third day on Monday, was sponsored against the EFCC chairman to smear his personality.
According to him, the protestors’ allusion to disobey the court order by the EFCC chairman is an alibi to falsify the facts of the announcement and court proceedings to publicize against the commission.
He said that those who claim that Bawa likes to defy the court orders are just doing evil, which he (Uwujaren) said is the main theme of the plot by civil society groups.
He said: “The information available to the Commission, shows that the group is sponsored by the people investigated by the Commission and has been mobilized and assigned by the paymaster to embarrass the chairman through choreographed street protests across the country, until he is removed from office.
“It is important that this group finds a voice after the EFCC launched an investigation into the looting of the treasury of one of the countries.
The same group shouted that the Commission had no power to investigate the theft of state resources. The latest dance in the market square came hours after family members of the sitting governor of the state were arraigned in an Abuja court for allegedly stealing state funds.
“EFCC appeals to the public to ignore the campaign by this group because they do not represent the true interests of millions of Nigerians who want to see progress in the fight against Corruption. The specter of hired men, hired CSOs, etc. is a disturbance in the fabric our social and a real demonstration of the corruption that has existed in every sector of our society.
“It is also important to reassure Nigerians and all stakeholders that the Commission has never, and will not take any steps to undermine the judiciary. As an institution that abides by the law, the EFCC has carried out all its activities in the area of the law. If the decision of the court is followed, then it will never help ourselves but resorting to legal remedies as we do in cases directly from court orders,” the EFCC said.
While reviewing the situation of the two commitment orders to the EFCC Chairman, Uwujaren said:
“The first order of the FCT High Court dated November 8, 2022 was issued for failure to comply with the court order dated November 21, 2018 directing the Commission to return the seized assets including the Range Rover SUV and the sum of N40, 000,000.00.
“It is in the public interest that the FCT High Court order was given three years before Abdulrasheed Bawa became EFCC Chairman.
“Also, contempt proceedings are criminal in nature and should be done against the person involved. In this case, Bawa as the chairman of EFCC, was not served Form 48 or Form 49.