The former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Abdulrasheed Bawa has spent more than one month in detention by the Department of Security Services.
Bawa was arrested on June 14th, hours after he was relieved of his duty by the president, who announced his suspension with immediate effect.
In a released formation by the Director of Information, Sectary to the government, Willie Basey read “weighty allegations of abuse of office levelled against him” as the reason for the President’s decision.
However, since arresting Bawa, the secret police have remained silent over which specific allegations he was arrested on, and whether or not he’ll be sent to court.
According to a report by the DSS spokesperson, Peter Afunanya, the suspended Bawa answered an invitation from secret police following his suspension.
“The Department of State Services has invited Abdulrasheed Bawa, the suspended Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Bawa .arrived a few hours ago. The invitation relates to some investigative activities concerning him,” the spokesman reported.
Accordingly, several calls to Afunanya were made to get more details on the case, but not answered. He also didn’t respond to their messages.
Moreover, while commenting on the detention of Bawa by DSS, an Abuja-based lawyer Pelumi Olajenbegsi said it was illegal to detain him for this long without trial.
Olajenbegsi said; “Without any contradiction, the continued detention of Bawa by the secret police for over three weeks now is unconstitutional and a breach of the fundamental rights of the detainee.
“Illegality cannot beget another illegality. The DSS should immediately release Bawa to rejoin his family members without further delay or charge him to court to face charges preferred against him by the Federal Government. Anything outside these two options is alien to law and won’t stand.”
It’s believed that he was in custody for 33- days since his arrest