The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared that it would begin investigating corrupt public officials on May 29, 2023.
Abdulrasheed Bawa, the commission’s chairman, confirmed this in an interview with Daily Trust.
While Bawa expressly said that certain arrests would be made after May 29, the EFCC chairman withheld the identities and numbers of the public officials who would be detained.
In his word, “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?”
In response to demands for his dismissal made by several civil society organizations, the chairman of the EFCC said that those making the demands were being paid to do so.
“It is on record that I am the first sitting EFCC chairman to go to court and testify—not once, not twice, or even three times”, he said. “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!”
