Abdulrasheed Bawa
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has threatened to file a lawsuit against President Bola Tinubu over the continuous detention of Abdulrasheed Bawa, the suspended Chairman of the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).
Recall that Bawa, following his suspension by President Tinubu for alleged abuse of office, has been in detention since June when the secret police arrested him.
His continuous detention without prosecution has aroused controversy from various quarters.
Reacting to Bawa’s detention after almost two months, the rights organization said the government should immediately release him or prosecute him.
SERAP took to Twitter on Tuesday morning to react, and the group said Bawa’s prolonged detention breached his right to liberty as guaranteed by the constitution.
The group said, “The Tinubu administration must immediately release the suspended chairman of EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa, from arbitrary detention or charge him with a legally recognizable offence. We’ll see in court if the authorities continue to flagrantly violate his right to liberty.”
Recall that last Friday, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2023 presidential election, Omoyele Sowore, also made a similar demand.
He said the prolonged detention of Bawa smacked of political persecution.
Sowore also took to Twitter to write, “It is now obvious that suspended Chairman Abdulrasheed Bawa of @officialEFCC is now a political detainee; his prolonged detention by the lawless @OfficialDSSNG for such a prolonged period without charges smacks of political persecution. @officialABA must release Bawa without further delay.”