On Wednesday, May 31, President Bola Tinubu met behind closed doors with the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The agenda of the meeting could not be determined at the time of filing this report, but there are indications that it may be related to the altercation between the DSS and the EFCC on Tuesday, May 30.
On Tuesday, May 30, the DSS and the EFCC reportedly clashed over a Lagos office block. The clash occurred in response to the security agency’s blockade of the anti-graft commission’s office.
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During the incident, DSS agents reportedly prevented EFCC employees from entering their offices.
The EFCC and the DSS were said to share office space in the building at No. 15A Awolowo Road, Ikoyi.
In response to reports on the development on its official Twitter page, the DSS said in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Peter Afunanya, that it did not prevent EFCC employees from visiting their offices.
Rather, the DSS claimed ownership of the building in question.
The DSS also stated that there is no rivalry between it and the EFCC in any way.
The EFCC, on the other hand, described the DSS siege on its Lagos office as shocking in its response.
The EFCC claimed that the DSS’s actions harmed the country’s fight against economic and financial crimes.
The EFCC’s reaction was contained in a statement signed by Wilson Uwujaren, the Commission’s Spokesperson.
The Commission stated that it had shared a facility with the DSS for 20 years without incident.
The EFCC also stated that the siege violates the expected synergy of agencies working for the same government and nation.
Tinubu later ordered the DSS to leave the office immediately.
The directive was revealed in a statement released later that day, May 30, by Tinubu’s media aide, Tunde Rahman.
According to the President, any disagreements between the two government agencies should be resolved amicably.
CSOs want the EFCC chairman fired.
Tinubu’s meeting with Bawa comes as some civil society organizations have called for the EFCC chairman to be fired.
CSOs have been protesting, claiming that the EFCC under Bawa is corrupt and inefficient.
Over 150 CSOs, led by Debo Adeniran, Chairman of the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL), noted that the EFCC has become a tool for settling political scores.
They demanded Bawa’s resignation, claiming that it is common practice around the world for officials suspected of serious misconduct to resign during investigations.
The group demanded a thorough investigation into the EFCC’s activities under Bawa over the last three years, including an examination of records of arrests, investigations, outcomes, and final closure of each incident and individual suspects, as well as how the matters were eventually resolved.
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Bawa has also been at odds with the former governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle, over corruption allegations.
While Bawa accused Matawalle of ”monumental corruption,” the governor accused the EFCC chairman of requesting a $2 million bribe from him.
In an interview with BBC Hausa Service, the governor made the accusation.
