Former Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, has said that law enforcement agencies were among those who benefited from Nigeria’s petrol subsidy scam.
Gatekeepers News reports that in his recently released book, ‘The Shadow of Loot & Losses: Uncovering Nigeria’s Petroleum Subsidy Fraud’, Bawa disclosed that Nigeria lost approximately $450 million through subsidy fraud under the Petroleum Support Fund (PSF) between 2006 and 2012.
The former EFCC chairman noted that several oil marketers implicated in the scam were prosecuted and convicted, and that about 80% of the stolen funds had since been recovered.
Speaking during an appearance on Prime Time, a programme aired on Arise Television, Bawa said the scale of the fraud was so vast that it compromised a wide range of actors, including law enforcement officials.
He said, “Everybody was benefitting from the scale and the scam, including law enforcement.”
“People can be compromised in such a way that they will look the other way around. It’s a general thing.”
Bawa called on Nigeria to challenge negative perceptions by the international community, regarding the alleged mismanagement of recovered assets, often referred to as “relooting the loot.”
He said, “Nigeria should be able to challenge the international community that is always thinking negative about our country.”
“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.”
The former EFCC chairman expressed concern that many Nigerians have internalised these negative perceptions from abroad.
He said, “It has now become like a norm among us Nigerians to take in what the international community perceives us to be.”
When asked about the frequent pattern of EFCC chairpersons leaving office amid suspicion or investigations, Bawa dismissed claims of political targeting but acknowledged the trend.
He said, “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.”
