67 Days In Detention, Falana Demands Release Of Ex-EFCC Chairman Immediately

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana SAN has demanded for the release of former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, having spent 67 days in the detention of DSS without any charges and trial.

The demand was made by the rights activist over the weekend.

According to Falana, Bawa’s remand order has since expired.

He said Bawa’s detention is against the provisions of section 493 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act(ACJA) 2015, or section 35 of the Constitution of Nigeria to authorise the detention of a criminal suspect for 67 days without trial. Under the Act, the cumulative lifespan of a remand order is 56 days.

He said, ” Sometime last month, I had cause to demand the immediate release of Mr Godwin Emefiele, the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and Mr Abdulrasheed Bawa, the suspended Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission from the custody of the State Security Service.

In the alternative, I requested the Federal Government to charge the two detained suspects before a court of competent jurisdiction, if there was evidence that they had committed criminal offences.”