Abdulrasheed Bawa Biography, Career and Education

Abdulrasheed Bawa is the sixth chairman of the Economic and financial crimes commission (EFCC) after its creation in 2003. One of the finest law enforcement agents in the country. Read further for detailed information about Abdulrasheed Bawa Biography.

Abdulrasheed Bawa Biography

Bawa was born on 30 April 1980 in Kebbi state. He spent his childhood days in the small town in Jega Local Government Area, Kebbi state. 

He replaced his predecessor, Mohammed Abba as a substantive replacement in 2015 until he was confirmed by the National Assembly after screening. 

Also, read President Magufuli’s Biography.

Before we dive fully into Abdulrasheed Bawa Biography, below is a table of quick information about him.

Abdulrasheed Bawa Biography
Full Name	Abdulrasheed Bawa
Age	41
Date of Birth	April 30, 1980
Position	EFCC Chairman
Previous Positions	Assistant Detective Superintendent (2004) Deputy Detective Superintendent (2007) Senior Detective Superintendent (2010) Principal Detective Superintendent (2013) Deputy Chief Detective Superintendent (2016)
Education	B.SC in Economics (Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto)

Age

As of the time of writing this, Abdulrasheed is 41 years old. Bawa will be 42 years old on the 30th of April, 2022.

Education

Abdulrasheed attended Modern Primary School Birnin in Kebbi State. He completed his primary education in 1991 and proceed to Owerri where he attended Government Secondary School.

He is a graduate of the prestigious Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Economics. In addition, he went further and obtained a Master’s degree in international affairs and Diplomacy from the same university.

Currently, he is pursuing a Bachelor of Laws degree at the University of London. 

Career

Abdulrasheed Bawa joined the anti-graft agency, EFCC as an Assistant Detective Superintendent (ADS) in 2004. He began the journey as a cadet officer, he was among the first set of cadet officers of the agency.

Later, he was promoted to the position of Deputy Chief Detective Superintendent. This was due to his hard work and achievements in the prosecution of corrupt government officials, money laundering, bank fraud, and other fraudulent activities.

In addition to his previous training, Bawa was trained by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Financial Crime Enforcement Network (FINCEN), and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (UNODC).

He served as the head of the zonal offices of the agency in Lagos, Port-Harcourt, and Abuja. He Is a certified fraud examiner (CFE) and a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS).

2021

On February 24, 2021, he was confirmed as the executive chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission after his appointment one week earlier by President Muhammad Buhari. He is the youngest executive chairman of the agency as he was 41 years of age when he assumed office.

In addition, he was also the first chairman of the agency without a police background. 

Highlighted are previous positions occupied by Abdulrasheed Bawa before becoming the executive chairman of EFCC

• Assistant Detective Superintendent (2004)
• Deputy Detective Superintendent (2007)
• Senior Detective Superintendent (2010)
• Principal Detective Superintendent (2013)
• Deputy Chief Detective Superintendent (2016)

Also, read Major General Ibrahim Attahiru’s Biography.

Awards

Abdulrasheed Bawa is a proficient law enforcement agent. Consequently, his work in the agency had not gone without notice as he is a recipient of various awards. Some of his awards are:

• US Federal Bureau of Investigation (Criminal Investigative Division) Appreciation (2019). This was in recognition of his support and contribution to knocking down international business email compromise (BEC) scam schemes. It resulted in nearly 209 arrests worldwide.
• Ten years of service award as a recognition for his contribution over the years against (2014)
• US Federal Bureau of Investigation (U.S. Department of Justice) Recognition Award (2019), for striking a partnership between EFCC and the FBI, resulting in the fight against Economic and Financial Crimes on an international level.
• Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Merit Award (2020)

Seminars and Conferences

He belongs to professional organizations, including the Nigerian Economic Society (Member), the Economic Institute (Associate), the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (Certified), and the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (Certified).

Bawa has attended several conferences and seminars in several countries as an investigator. They include ACAMS Global 24+ Virtual Conference (2020), ACFE Global Fraud Conference, Las Vegas, USA (June 2018), Global Forum on Assets Recovery (Gfar), Washington DC, USA (December 2017), and UNCAC Open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group on Assets Recovery, Vienna, Austria (August 2017).

In addition, he was also present at the following seminar and conferences, UNCAC 8th Intersessional Meeting-Open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group on Prevention, Vienna, Austria (August 2017).

Also, he was at Nigerian Economic Society Annual Conference, Calabar, Nigeria (2009), EFCC Best Practices Manual Drafting Convocation (April 2017), EFCC Best Practices Manual Workshop (July 2017), EFCC Best Practices Manual Workshop (August 2017), Nigerian Economic Society Annual Conference, Calabar, Nigeria (2009). 

Also, read Tompolo’s Biography.

Family

He is happily married and blessed with kids. There is no information about his wife and children.

Milestones and Achievements

Abdulrasheed Bawa had been a major asset to the anti-graft agency from his early days as a cadet officer down to the time he became the executive chairman.

He has led many investigations, recover stolen funds and play a major role in the prosecution of some fraud perpetrators. He was the investigator in charge of the case against former petroleum minister, Diezani Alison Madueke over the misappropriation of government funds.

Cases

Highlighted below are some of the cases he had been a part of: 

• Abdulrasheed Bawa headed an investigation unit on the dealings of Crude Oil Swaps and OPA case from 2014 to 2015 recovering assets
• Bawa was involved in the Petroleum Subsidy Fraud investigations from 2012 to 2015 leading to the recovery of about N70 billion as well as the prosecution of the culprits.
• He was also the lead investigator on the case of Atlantic Energy Group case from 2014 to 2015. Assets in properties and cash were recovered worth millions of dollars were recovered.
• He supervised “Operation Cyber Storm One” nationwide in which many were prosecuted for cybercrimes and fraud.
• When he was in the zonal offices in Lagos, he and his team made a total of 227 convictions. He was an active leader, leading 604 officers under him.
• Likewise, in the Port-Harcourt Zonal offices, under his watch, 215 convictions were made, and embezzled funds and assets were recovered.
• In 6 months, he handled 113 cases as a leader in the Ibadan Zonal office and 54 of those cases were duly charged to court and prosecuted.
• He was part of the team that organize occasional raids on the cyber-cafes serving as an operational base for internet fraudsters
• He was at the forefront of the investigation that lead to the conviction of Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu, former Governor of Niger State.

Also, read Rahama Sadau’s Biography.

Controversy

In 2020, People Gazette made an exclusive report on Abdulrasheed Bawa as a corrupt official. The report was written to accuse the current EFCC chairman of involving in corrupt practices such as diverting confiscated properties and funds for his personal needs.

Also, he was accused of stealing and selling trucks of petrol confiscated from looters, he was reported to have sold them off to cliques at an exorbitant price. In addition, he was said to be investigated and had been detained under the estranged former EFCC boss, Ibrahim Magu.

Furthermore, his appointment was also frowned upon by concerned members of the civil society. They argued that he was not qualified for the position which required a Level 15 officer while he was a Level 13 Officer.

However, a statement was issued by the agency to debunk the allegations of Abdulrasheed Bawa being involved in corrupt practices or being detained by Ibrahim Magu.

Summary of Abdulrasheed Bawa Biography

Abdulrasheed Bawa is presently the youngest executive of the anti-graft agency, EFCC. He is also the first chairman without a police background. He is a native of Kebbi state and devoted.

With his expertise and training, he has helped the agency prosecute and recover properties and embezzled funds from looters. Also, he is an asset in the fight against cybercrimes. He loves watching football, tennis, reading, and watching the news on international affairs.

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Before you go, read Major General Faruk Yahaya’s Biography.