The chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, slumped in Abuja on Thursday. Bawa was giving a speech at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa when he lost his composure and slumped.
He was instantly rushed out of the hall by dignitaries who were at the event. Among these was the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Pantami.
The MC later announced that Bawa had sufficiently recovered and was “doing okay.”
The EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, also released a press statement on the condition of the commission’s chairman. He said Bawa felt unwell while giving a goodwill message and simply returned to his seat.
“The Chairman of the EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa, is hale and hearty,” Uwujaren stated. “This clarification became necessary following an incident today, September 16, 2021, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja where he was giving a goodwill message to the National Identity Day celebration, felt unwell and had to return to his seat. He has since received medical attention and is due back at his desk.”
Bawa was speaking at the third National Identity Day celebration when the incident happened. When he climbed the podium, he made it clear that his speech would be short since he would be travelling to Ibadan after the event to attend the funeral of a senior EFCC official who died.
He was in the process of highlighting the importance of the National Digital Identity vis-à-vis the commission’s arrest of a man who had 116 SIM cards in Ibadan when he went pale and began to sob. Then he broke down and had to be rushed out of the auditorium to seek medical attention.
Bawa succeeded Ibrahim Magu as the chairman of the EFCC. He was first nominated as a substantive chairman on February 16 and his was confirmed as the executive chairman by the National Assembly on February 24, 2021.
