HURIWA tells IGP: Arrest, put Abdulrasheed Bawa in Kuje Prison now

Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA) has called for the arrest and imprisonment of Abdulrasheed Bawa, Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

The rights group is backing the call for the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, to without further delay, put the EFCC boss behind bars.

Recall that the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja during the week, ordered that Bawa be committed to Kuje correctional centre for contempt of court, pending the setting aside of the order.

HURIWA wondered why Bawa, who should be at a correctional centre, is still functioning and signing documents as the Chairman of the agency against the court order.

HURIWA made the call in a statement released by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, on Wednesday.

The statement follows the position of a legal practitioner, Maxwell Okpara, who said that Bawa remained a convict until the court order was vacated.

Commenting on the calls for respect for the rule of law, HURIWA said: “We therefore call on the IGP to enforce the law and enjoin the rest of the law enforcement agencies who are fond of exalting themselves above the laws of the land to learn from Bawa’s fate.

“The EFCC Chairman should also on his own volition report at Kuje prison if the IGP has disobeyed the Court order and failed to do the needful by conveying him to the prison premises pending the hearing and determination of his application for stay of execution.”