Abdulrasheed Bawa, Former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has alleged that law enforcement agencies were among those who benefitted from the widespread fraud linked to Nigeria’s defunct petrol subsidy regime.
Bawa made the revelation in his newly released book. According to him, between 2006 and 2012, Nigeria lost approximately $450 million to subsidy fraud.
In the book, Bawa recounted that some oil marketers indicted during that period were successfully prosecuted and jailed, with about 80 percent of the looted funds eventually recovered.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time, Bawa disclosed that complicity in the fraud extended beyond corporate interests and political actors. “Everybody was benefitting from the scale and the scam, including law enforcement,” he said. “People can be compromised in such a way that they will look the other way around. It’s a general thing.”
Bawa also addressed what he described as a damaging international narrative around the mismanagement of recovered assets, commonly referred to as “relooting the loot.” He urged the Nigerian government and citizens to resist such characterisations, insisting the country deserves trust and respect in its anti-corruption efforts.
“Nigeria should be able to challenge the international community that is always thinking negative about our country,” he said. “This idea of relooting the loot shouldn’t be discussed against us as a country. Nigerians and non-Nigerians should have the ability to trust in our leaders.”
He warned against the internalisation of foreign perceptions, noting that many Nigerians have come to accept critical global views without scrutiny. “It has now become like a norm among us Nigerians to take in what the international community perceives us to be,” Bawa added.
Responding to questions about the trend of EFCC chairpersons leaving office amid controversy or investigation, Bawa dismissed suggestions of political targeting. He acknowledged that public opinion often surrounds such transitions, regardless of circumstances.
“It’s just a phase that has to come and go. People always talk. Whether you’re telling the truth or not, people will say something,” he stated.
Abdulrasheed Bawa served as EFCC chairman from 2021 to 2023.
