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Nigeria President Suspends Anti-Corruption Agency Boss Amid Probe

President Bola Tinubu has suspended the head of the country's anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, indefinitely.

The Department of State Services (DSS) domestic security and intelligence agency later said it questioned Bawa.

The suspension aims to allow for a thorough investigation into Bawa's conduct while in office. While it is customary for the head of the anti-corruption agency to be replaced when a new president takes office, the decision to suspend Bawa was prompted by serious allegations of abuse of office.

Several corruption accusations have been made against Bawa since his appointment in 2021, all of which he has denied. In one instance, a former governor accused him of demanding a U.S.$2 million bribe, a claim Bawa refuted. Bawa's suspension follows the suspension and arrest of Nigeria's central bank chief Godwin Emefiele, who was detained by the domestic security services as part of a probe into his role.

Nigeria currently ranks 150th out of 180 countries in Transparency International's corruption perception index.

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