EFCC boss Bawa vows to tame corruption despite receiving death threats

Abdulrasheed Bawa, chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Tuesday, said he is optimistic that the monster of corruption in the country will be tamed, despite receiving death threats since he became the chairman of the anti-graft agency.

Bawa who made the disclosure when he appeared on Channels Television programme, Sunrise Daily, disclosed that when he was away in the US, he was contacted by a high-profile Nigerian who told him that some Nigerians were after his life.

“Last week, I was in New York, as all Nigerians are aware of. A very senior citizen received a phone call from somebody that is not even under investigation. What the caller said to him on the phone is that; he is going to kill the EFCC chairman,” he said.

“He said, ‘I am going to kill him. I am going to kill him’. This is to tell you how bad it is. It is actually real. Corruption can fight back.”

However, despite the threats, the anti-graft boss said he is optimistic that his agency will prevail in the fight against corruption.

“Yes because if you look at it, almost everywhere there are elements of it (corruption). No, because I am very optimistic we will succeed in taming the monster of corruption in this country.

“I am very optimistic and with the efforts of the government. One of the cardinal principles of the President’s administration is to fight corruption and we in the EFCC and other law enforcement agencies saddled with this responsibility… we are doing our best and trying to curtail it.”

The EFCC boss speaking further on steps that will be taken in taming corruption in the country said the agency is engaging with religious leaders.

“Nigeria is a very religious country and that is why one of the issues that we do in public enlightenment is to engage with leaders of religious bodies. We are soon going to launch our interface with the Christian and Islamic communities to engage them on the ills of corruption.

“We have already designed the manual for that.”

Forty-year-old Bawa was appointed EFCC Boss by President Muhammadu Buhari on February 16 and was subsequently confirmed by the Senate.

He replaced Ibrahim Magu, the former acting chairman of the anti-graft agency.