I’M AFRAID MALAMI WON’T LET BAWA SUCCEED –SAGAY – PUNCH PG.

The Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), says he is afraid that the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), will interfere in the duties of the new Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Abdulrasheed Bawa, and prevent him from succeeding.

Sagay said this during an interview withpressmen on Wednesday while reacting to Bawa’s confirmation by the Senate.

FG FINALISES PLANS TO PROSECUTE 5,000 SUSPECTED BOKO HARAM FIGHTERS – THISDAY PG.5, SUN PG.6, DAILY TRUST PG.7

The federal government will soon begin the trial of 5,000 suspected Boko Haram members who are in various detention facilities nationwide. The Director-General of Legal Aid Council, Mr. Aliyu Abubakar, during a visit to the Borno State Governor, Prof. BabaganaZulum, said yesterday in Maiduguri that the trial would be conducted by the Office of the Attorney-General General of the Federation (AGF), the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), in collaboration with the Theatre Command, Operation Lafiya Dole.

BAWA DEFENDS GRAFT ALLEGATION, GETS SENATE CONFIRMATION AS EFCC CHAIR – PUNCH PG.8, THISDAY PG.16, DAILY TRUST PG.4

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr AbdulrasheedBawa, has denied the allegation that he sold seized trucks in the custody of the Port Harcourt zonal office of the agency. He stated this while being questioned by the Senate during his screening on Wednesday. No fewer than 19 senators asked Bawa questions ranging from his qualification to lead the agency and issues about the sale of seized property in EFCC custody when he was head of the Port Harcourt zonal office

PROVE I’M A TERRORIST, BAUCHI GOVERNOR CHALLENGES ORTOM – NATION PG.4

Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed yesterday expressed shock that his Benue State counterpart, Samuel Ortom, could describe him as a terrorist because he expressed a contrary opinion over the lingering herdsmen crisis. Mohammed said Ortom was taking his “well known” and “unfortunate theatrics” to a dangerous level by making “unfounded and grave allegations.”

METUH: MY ORDEAL IN EFCC CUSTODY UNFORGETTABLE – NATION PG.4, PUNCH PG.12, SUN PG.7

Former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Publicity Secretary Chief Olisa Metuh on Wednesding said his ordeal in the hands of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Kuje Prison, Abuja, is unforgettable. He likened it to being a victim of armed robbery, wherein the thief violates the wife of the man of the house just because he has a gun.

BAWA: EFCC HAS POWERS TO PROBE UNEXPLAINED WEALTH – NATION PG.2

The just confirmed chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), AbdulrasheedBawa, Wednesday said that the Commission has powers to investigate “unexplained wealth.” Bawa gave this indication while answering questions from Senators during his screening by the Senate in a Committee of the Whole during plenary presided over by Senate President Ahmad Lawan.

COURT REFUSES TO GRANT EX-PENSION BOSS MAINA BAIL – PUNCH PG.21

The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Thursday, refused to grant a former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reformed Taskforce Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, bail. Delivering a ruling, Justice OkonAbang, held that Maina’s application for bail lacked merit.Justice Abang said though it was at the court’s discretion to grant bail, the ex-pension reformed boss did not deserve bail after jumping the first bail.

NDLEA INTERCEPTS CONTAINER-LOAD OF TRAMADOL IN APAPA PORT – THISDAY PG.17

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has intercepted a container-load of Tramadol at the Apapa seaport in Lagos, just as its operatives have arrested 90 persons, including an Indian, during raids of some drug cartels in parts of Lagos where a total of 614.396 kilogrammes of various hard drugs were seized. At the Apapa seaport, about two million capsules of Tramadol (precisely 1,994,400 capsules) tucked in 554 cartons were intercepted in the container, which was falsely declared to contain ceramic tiles.

FALANA-LED COALITION URGES FG TO BAN FOREIGN ARMED HERDERS – THISDAY PG.42

The Alliance for Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB) led by a human rights activist, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) has called on the federal government to use the ECOWAS protocol to ban the armed foreign herdsmen. In a statement issued yesterday, Falana recalled that the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed had alleged that some of the bandits and criminal herdsmen terrorising the country are non-Nigerians.

ICPC, FRC PLEDGE TO DRIVE ASSETS RECOVERY, PROJECTS TRACKING – THISDAY PG.42

To advance the fight against corruption in Nigeria, the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) have pledged to work together in the areas of assets recovery and capital projects tracking. This is coming as FRC said that it has caused over N1.75trillion to be remitted to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) in the last 11 years.

MASS EXIT OF POLICE LOOMS IN EFCC – SUN PG.26

Chairman-designate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), AbduralsheedBawa, yesterday, hinted that thousands of policemen may be deployed out of the Commission when he assumes office. “The issue of secondment is based on needs. We will review the process. If the need arises for us to retain policemen, we will. Otherwise, we will return them,” he said.