CSOs end protest in Lagos, give I-G 7-day ultimatum to arrest EFCC boss

Frontline Anti-corruption Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have given a seven day ultimatum to the Inspector General of Police, I-G Usman Baba, to effect arrest order on EFCC Chairman, Mr AbdulRasheed Bawa.

The CSOs said Bawa should be arrested and committed to prison, as ordered by the Court.

The coalition made the call at a massive town hall meeting in Lagos to round off its week-long protest for removal of Bawa, the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

They also urged President Muhammadu Buhari to sanitise and preserve the integrity of the EFCC.

The CSOs, which began a weeklong protest in Ikeja on Sunday, alleged that the EFCC under Bawa had politicised operations and had perchant for disobeying lawful court orders and infringement on human rights.

Our correspondent recalls that the Kogi High Court in Lokoja on Feb. 5, ordered the arrest and remand of the EFCC chairman in prison for disobeying a court order.

However, the EFCC had filed a motion at Court of Appeal to stop the execution of judgment of the Kogi High Court which ordered the committal of its chairman to prison for disobedience of court order.

The scores of activists on Friday said it gave the IGP a seven-day ultimatum to effect the court order that committed Bawa to prison for contempt by arresting and jailing the EFCC boss.

According to them, though the first phase of the protest ended on Friday, the CSOs will jointly and individually petition relevant international agencies, demanding sanctions against Bawa until he becomes law abiding and serves his jail term.

The Spokesperson for the coalition, Mr Olufemi Lawson urged Buhari to immediately put machineries in motion to sanitise the commission, “so that the war against criminals and corrupt elements in Nigeria will continue to make a meaning”.

Reviewing the weeklong protests, Lawson, the Executive Director, Centre for Public Accountability said the coalition, comprising over 120 active organisations, had been able to sustain the agitation, despite sponsored blackmail, intimidation and campaign of calumny.

He said: “Today, we have invited selected leaders of our various organisations, to further press home our demand, under an atmosphere of engagement with some more stakeholders, whom we have also invited to be part of us today.

“As frontline anti-corruption activists, we wish to restate our uncompromising demand, for President Buhari to immediately relieve Bawa of the position of the chairman of the EFCC.

“Bawa has lost the moral capacity to continually preside over such an important law enforcement agency, haven become a signpost for disobedience to the rule of law, particularly express orders of our courts.”

He added that the protest was just the first phase as the coalition planned to submit petitions to relevant international agencies and embassies demanding sanctions against Bawa until he became law-abiding.

“We cannot allow our Judiciary to be rubbished by anyone.

“We are by this medium, giving a seven-day ultimatum in line with the mood of the nation currently for the IGP to effect the arrest order on Bawa and commit him to prison, as ordered by the court, after which our nationwide protests will resume.”

He applauded various leaders and groups who had been part of the sustained agitation for Bawa to be sacked on account of disobedience of court orders, and had refused to be intimidated even in the face of obvious threats.

Speaking, Mr Ayodeji Ologun, the spokesman for the Transparency and Accountability Group, insisted that the EFCC boss could not appeal the contempt ruling without first obeying the order.

Ologun said that Nigerian authorities should not toe ‘dangerous path’ of anarchy with the incessant disobedience of court orders “especially by an agency set up to stamp out corruption”.

The activist said the politicisation of the EFCC was evident in the slant of its operations.

According to him, while series of petitions are piled up unattended at the EFCC offices on monumental corruption across Nigeria, the commission had allegedly focused on political vendetta.

Kicking against the EFCC’s statement that they were hired CSOs, the Director, Activists for Good Governance, Mr Declan Ihekaire explained that members of the coalition had been at the forefront of the fight against corruption for years and were well known for their doggedness and patriotism.

Ihekaire said that many members of the coalition had long been in the struggle and fight for democracy.

“Back then, nobody paid us to fight for justice. Whoever is saying we were paid to do this must be thoroughly examined. We are strictly activists, not political jobbers.

“We are saying President Buhari should sack Bawa and if he doesn’t sack him, we are sure that whoever is coming on board, come May 29, 2023, will listen to us and have Bawa sacked,” Ihekaire said.

The ‘Bawa Must Go’ protests were being led by the Chairman, Centre for Anti-corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL), Mr Debo Adeniran; the Executive Director, Zero Graft Centre, Kolawole Sanchez-Jude; the Chairman, Coalition Against Corruption and Bad Governance, Mr Toyin Raheem; and Ahmed Balogun of Media Rights Concern.

Other activists present at the protest were Messrs Ochiaga Jude, Cletus Okedube, Johnson Areola, George Sanda, among a host of other notable activists, lawyers and women’s rights NGOs.