The Department of State Services (DSS) is currently interrogating the suspended Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, regarding his involvement in the naira redesign policy.
Bawa, who is under investigation for alleged financial impropriety during his tenure as the EFCC chairman, is in DSS custody in Abuja.
President Bola Tinubu suspended Bawa indefinitely as the head of the anti-graft agency on June 14, after which he was taken into DSS custody. It has been reported that he is now being grilled by DSS interrogators over his role in the currency redesign policy initiated by the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, who is also currently in DSS custody.
According to a source, Bawa is specifically being questioned about allegations of mismanagement, misappropriation, and diversion of proceeds from the sale of forfeited assets. However, his involvement in the cash crunch is considered the primary offense under scrutiny. The DSS has not yet disclosed the specific charges against the suspended EFCC chairman to the public, as investigations are still ongoing.
In a related development, the DSS conducted searches at both Bawa’s residence and office. Reliable sources revealed to Punch that DSS agents, armed with search warrants, visited Bawa’s home in Gwarinpa, Abuja, where they carried out the search in the presence of his wife and children. Simultaneously, the DSS agents also searched Bawa’s office at the EFCC Headquarters in Jabi.
An inside source disclosed, “DSS operatives stormed the EFCC Headquarters in Jabi on Saturday to search the office of the suspended chairman. But they presented a search warrant. Another set of DSS operatives also searched Bawa’s home in Gwarinpa, and they met his wife and children in the house during the search. Bawa’s close associates at the office have also been summoned for questioning this week, as they are being probed on allegations of mismanagement, misappropriation, and diversion of proceeds from forfeited assets sold under Bawa’s watch.