Abuja Court Sentences EFCC Boss, Abdulrasheed Bawa To Jail

Abdulrasheed Bawa, the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has been sentenced to jail for contempt of court by a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Maitama.

The EFCC boss was found guilty of contempt of court after the organisation refused to follow a previous court order.

The presiding judge, Justice Chizoba Oji, in a ruling, stated that “the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is in contempt of the orders of this honourable court made on November 21st 2018 directing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Abuja to return to the applicant his Range Rover (Supercharge) and the sum of N40, 000,000.00 (Forty Million Naira).

“Having continued wilfully in disobedience to the order of this court, he should be committed to prison at Kuje Correctional Centre for his disobedience, and continued disobedience of the said order of court made on November 21st, 2018, until he purges himself of the contempt.

“The Inspector General of Police shall ensure that the order of this honourable court is executed forthwith,” The judge added.

Justice Orji ignored the excuses given by Francis Jirbo, the EFCC’s attorney, for his client’s actions.

The decision was made on a motion on notice submitted by former Nigerian Air Force Director of Operations Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Rufus Adeniyi Ojuawo with the notice number FCT/HC/M/52/2021 (NAF).

In a motion submitted by his attorney, R.N. Ojabo, Ojuawo had complained that the EFCC had refused to abide by the court’s November 21, 2018, delivered judgment ordering the release of his seized property.

Ojuawo was charged by the EFCC with two counts in 2016 in Nyanya before Justice Muawiyah Baba Idris of the High Court of the FCT.

He was charged with taking bribes from Hima Aboubakar of Societe D’Equipment Internationaux Nigeria Limited totalling N40 million and a Range Rover Sport (Supercharged) valued at N29.250 million.

However, Justice Idris released and acquitted Ojuawo in a ruling on November 21, 2018, on the grounds that the prosecution had not proven its case.

According to Idris, the prosecution must show that the defendant corruptly received the gift, whether he did it for himself or another person, in order for the charge to be valid.

The judge further stated that the prosecution must show that the defendant took the gift as an inducement or reward for performing his official duties.

Justice Idris said, “In conclusion, I hold that the prosecution has failed to prove the two counts charge of corrupt gratification under S17 (1)(a) and (c) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.

“The defendant is discharged and acquitted on counts one and two of the charge.

“Consequently, the complainant (EFCC) is ordered to refund the defendant his N40,000,000 wrongly paid into ONSA recovery account and to return to the defendant his Range Rover Sport (Supercharged) forthwith.”