Following the indefinite suspension of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, Abdulkareem Chukkol, the commission’s erstwhile Director of Operations will now serve as Chairman in an acting capacity.
Bawa was suspended by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday after a meeting at the presidential villa. He was was instructed to immediately hand over the office to Abdulkareem Chukkol. A stern statement issued by George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), said this happened to “allow for proper investigation into his conduct while in office.”
The suspension was in response to serious charges of abuse of authority made against him by certain key players in the battle against corruption.
The moments after his suspension, Abdulrasheed Bawa accepted an invitation from the Department of State Services (DSS) on Wednesday night. He arrived at the DSS headquarters, according to a statement by Dr. Peter Afunanya, the DSS spokesperson.
The statement said, “Bawa arrived a few hours ago. The invitation relates to some investigative activities concerning him.”
Until then Abdulkareem Chukkol, the Director of Operations in the commission will be taking over as acting Chairman of the EFCC who has represented the chairman over the years in a number of occasions.
Chukkol, a detective in the commission, is a graduate of the University of Maiduguri and also a trained officer of the FBI National Academy, Quantico, USA. He holds several diplomas in Criminal Justice Education and Cybersecurity and Spectrum Monitoring.
The detective has experience in his years as an officer working with top agencies such as the Serious Organised Crimes Agency of the United Kingdom, Queensland Police of Australia, the Federal Bureau of Investigations of the US and the Office of Inspector General of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Glamour Adah
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