A northern coalition of civil society organizations has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) chairman, Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa, to resign or be sacked by the federal government in the wake of alleged corruption charges against him.

The Chairman of the Coalition of Arewa Civil Society Organisations, Adamu Aminu Musa, said in a statement that Abdulrasheed Bawa’s resignation at this point in time is needed in order to save Nigeria and the EFCC’s reputation.

The statement alleged, “The fourth executive chairman, Mr Bawa, has been at the centre of so many corruption allegations even before his appointment as the chairman, which was believed to be surrounded by so many controversies and mysteries.”

The statement also accused Bawa of using his office to intimidate, harass, and force people to comply with his wishes including the banks, other government agencies, and innocent Nigerians, with the backing of his godfather, the Minister for Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami.

In a similar development, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, on Sunday, joined the call for the removal of the chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa.

The group made this demand in a statement through its National President, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike.

He said the call became needful as the anti-graft body was drifting off its known integrity.

He said, “This came to the fore when he unleashed the commission on Senator Ike Ekweremadu, a victim of circumstance, who was then facing charges in the United Kingdom.

“The EFCC under Bawa has never charged Ekweremadu for any crime, but while the lawmaker was in far away UK, he rushed and misled a Nigerian court to confiscate all his properties. Thank God that the court later reversed itself. This is just one of the major unholy and sponsored jobs of the EFCC under Bawa.

The national president of the group accused the EFCC of being used as a tool for political witch hunts.

“A few days ago, it was even reported that two of the staff members killed another colleague while they were fighting for exhibits. This shows how dirty the commission has become.

“Apart from the corruption fight taking a nosedive under Bawa, it is also no longer news that the EFCC under him has totally become a tool for political witchhunt, it is now merely being used to settle political scores.”

Meanwhile, the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) has rejected the claim by the outgoing governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle that its chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, allegedly requested $ 2 million as a bribe from him.

The governor, who is under the EFCC watch, in an interview with BBC Hausa on Friday accused Mr. Bawa demanded for the huge bribe.

The EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, challenged the Zamfara State governor to provide evidence to back his allegation while adding that the Commission will not be drawn into a dirty fight.

“The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has been drawn to a trending interview granted to the Hausa Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC, by Bello Muhammed Matawalle, governor of Zamfara State, where he allegedly made wild bribery allegations against the Executive Chairman of the Commission, Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa.

“(Mr) Matawalle’s recourse to mudslinging is symptomatic of a drowning man clutching at straws. But despite the irritation of his phantom claims, the Commission will not be drawn into a mud fight with a suspect under its investigation for corruption and unconscionable pillage of the resources of his state.

“If Matawalle will be taken seriously, he should go beyond sabre-rattling by spilling the beans – provide concrete evidence as proof of his allegations,” Mr Uwujaren said.