The EFCC expressed shock at the judgement of FCT High Court Justice Chizoba Oji, who sentenced Mr Bawa to prison for contempt. The EFCC praised Mr. Bawa on its verified Twitter account as an advocate of the rule of law and due process who believes in close coordination between the two institutions in the administration of justice.
"This verdict is shocking since it gives the erroneous impression that the commission's chairman supports impunity," the anti-graft agency stated. "In terms of the EFCC-judiciary connection, the chairman has been an apostle of the rule of law, due process, and a champion of close collaboration between the two institutions in justice administration." On Tuesday, the court convicted the EFCC chief for failing to comply with a previous court order.
The court ordered the commission to return to a defendant, Mr. Ojuawo, a former director of operations for the Nigerian Air Force, his Range Rover SUV and N40 million that had been taken from him. The EFCC charged Mr. Ojuawo with two counts in 2016 before Justice Muawiyah Baba Idris of the FCT High Court. Hima Aboubakar of Societe D'Equipment Internationaux Nigeria Limited was accused of giving him N40 million and a Range Rover Sport (supercharged).
Meanwhile, Inspector General of Police Usman Baba stated that he was unaware of the court order to arrest and imprison Mr. Bawa for contempt. "The court ordered the commission to return to the applicant the seized assets, which included a Range Rover (Supercharge) and N40,000,000." "I will not tolerate impunity or disrespect any valid instructions of the court as an investigator and the sole executive of a law enforcement organisation who frequently goes to court," it stated. According to the statement, Mr. Bawa was not appointed when the order was issued in 2018, and "it was three years before he became chairman of the commission."
"Despite this, the said Range Rover in issue was released to the applicant on June 27, 2022, and the chairman had cleared the process for the release of the remaining N40 million," the EFCC statement continued. "Taking the procedural lapse in the contempt proceedings into account, the commission has launched a process to set aside the whole contempt proceedings and condemn the executive chairman to prison for contempt." Despite its "dissatisfaction with this judgement, which appears to be supported by misinformation," the EFCC stated that it "remains dedicated to working closely with the judiciary in the advancement of the battle against economic and financial crimes in Nigeria."
