The suspended Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) for 33 days since his arrest on June 14. Bawa was apprehended by the secret police shortly after his suspension by President Bola Tinubu, citing “weighty allegations of abuse of office” as the reason.
Despite his detention, the DSS has not disclosed the specific charges against Bawa, the progress of their investigation, or any plans for filing charges in court. The DSS had earlier stated that his arrest was in connection with “investigative activities” concerning him.
Following Bawa’s continued detention, an Abuja-based human rights lawyer, Pelumi Olajengbesi, asserted that it is illegal for the DSS to hold him without trial. Olajengbesi emphasized that such detention without due process violates Bawa’s fundamental rights and urged the DSS to release him or charge him in court as required by law.
