People who are afraid of EFCC are guilty as suspected, says ex-Chairman Bawa shortly before his suspension

… Says ‘I can’t hurt a fly’

Former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, sat with the host of #WithChude, Chude Jideonwo few weeks before he was suspended from office.

Jideonwo shared an excerpt of the interview on his Instagram page on Monday, June 19, 2023:

“A few weeks ago, as part of another project, the charming Abdulrasheed Bawa gave me unprecedented access at the sprawling complex of the EFCC headquarters, Abuja. It turned out to be his last TV interview – before being suspended last week. I asked him why people were so afraid of him, and how he was wielding his power as EFCC chair. It now happens to be a very prescient question. I remain thankful to him for his time and graciousness,” Jideonwo wrote.

On the interview, Abdulrasheed said, “I doubt much, if people should be afraid of me. You see my face, can I hurt a fly? I cannot do that. I am still looking this young and youthful. It is an issue of power, and the power belongs to the system not me as a person. But I think we are exercising it well because we understood all the weight and expectations around it. I think the most important thing is the fact that we are just doing our job. We don’t want people to panic or fear, people should come to the EFCC with all sense of civility and belonging. It is about finding out the facts – ‘what has happened?’. So, ‘why are you afraid? It is a sign that you are guilty as suspected’. People should not be scared, we are fellow Nigerians like them.”