Following the indefinite suspension of the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, the director of operations at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulkarim Chukkol has assumed duty as the acting chairman of the EFCC.
The Informant247 had reported that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday, suspended the Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, AbdulRasheed Bawa, from office indefinitely.
According to the Director of Information, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Willie Bassey, said this is to allow for a thorough investigation into his conduct while in office following “weighty allegations ” of abuse of office against him, while directed Bawa to immediately hand over to the Director, Operations in the Commission pending the conclusion of the investigation.
The statement read, “President Tinubu has approved the indefinite suspension from office of AbdulRasheed Bawa, CON, as the Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to allow for proper investigation into his conduct while in office. This follows weighty allegations of abuse of office levelled against him.
“Mr Bawa has been directed to immediately handover the affairs of his office to the Director, Operations in the Commission, who will oversee the affairs of the Office of the Chairman of the Commission pending the conclusion of the investigation.”
Meanwhile, the suspended EFCC chairman Bawa was subsequently invited and grilled by the Department of State Security (DSS) over issues that “relate to some investigative activities concerning him.”
However, Abdulkarim Chukkol has been appointed as the acting chairman of the anti-graft agency.
According to the statement on Thursday, the commission said Chukkol is one of its pioneer staff.
“Following Tuesday’s suspension of Abdulrasheed Bawa as executive chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission by the federal government, Abdulkarim Chukkol has stepped in as acting chairman of the commission,” the EFCC said.
“A pioneer staff of the commission and an illustrious member of the EFCC Cadet Course One, Chukkol is a consummate and vastly experienced investigator with a specialty in cybercrime and money laundering.”