HomeBiographyAbdulrasheed Bawa: Biography, Education,...

Abdulrasheed Bawa: Biography, Education, Career, Marriage, Net Worth, Achievements and Controversy

By Balogun Kamilu Lekan

Biography

Abdulrasheed Bawa is a law enforcement agent, a detective and the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)

He was born on 30 April 1980. Abdulrasheed Bawa is 43 years old as of 2023.

The anti-graft agency boss is the first substantive chairman without a background in the Nigerian Police Force and the youngest to occupy the office since its inception.

Education

Bawa had his elementary education at Model Primary School Birnin-Kebbi Road, Sokoto, before heading to Government Secondary School, Owerri, for his secondary education.

Later, he proceeded to Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, where he bagged a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics. Bawa then also earned a Master’s degree in International Affairs and Diplomacy from the same university

Abdulrasheed also has a  Laws degree from the University of London

Career

Bawa started his career with the EFCC in 2004 as a member of the Cadet Officer Course 1, and trained at the Nigeria Police College Ikeja, Lagos. He was a member of the pioneer EFCC Cadet Officers, course one, 2005.

He rose through the ranks to become a Deputy Chief Detective Superintendent (DCDS), a position he held before being nominated as the substantive chairman of the anti-graft agency.

As the head of the EFCC’s investigations of Mrs Diezani Allison-Madueke from 2015 till date, his team has recovered millions of dollars worth of property in Nigeria, the U.K., the U.S.A, and U.A.E, including 92 of such assets in Nigeria.

Bawa headed the Counter-Terrorism and General Investigation/Pension Unit of the Lagos Zonal Office in 2017 

He was then transferred to head the Ibadan Zonal Office of the EFCC, covering Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo and Kwara states from June 2018 to January 2019.

After he left the Ibadan Zonal office, he was transferred to head the Capacity Development Division, EFCC Academy, Abuja from December 2019 to August 2020.

His next stop after the EFCC Academy was to head the agency’s zonal office overseeing Rivers, Bayelsa and Abia state operations in Port Harcourt. He held the position from January 2019 to December 2019 before he was deployed to head the EFCC operation zonal office in Lagos.

Before becoming the boss, Bawa had 17 experience as a detective with the EFCC by, involving in the prosecution of advance fee fraud, official corruption, bank fraud, money laundering and other economic and financial crimes-related offences.

In February 2021, he was appointed the fourth Executive Chairman of the EFCC by President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR and was confirmed by the Senate in the same month.

Relationship

There is no public information about Bawa’s wife and children

Net worth

NewsWireNgr cannot independently verify Abdulrasheed Bawa’s net worth

Achievements

Bawa has a track record of conducting successful investigations and presenting testimony that has resulted in convictions and the recovery of embezzled funds and assets all over the world. 

Between 2014 and 2015, he handled the Atlantic Energy Group’s investigations, which resulted in the recovery of assets in Nigeria, the United Kingdom, the United States, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, and Canada. During the same period, he was in charge of the investigations into the Crude Oil Swaps and OPA cases, which resulted in the recovery of assets.

Abdulrasheed was part of the team investigating the Petroleum Subsidy Fraud between 2012 and 2015, where he helped identify a fraud worth about N70 billion. Many companies were brought to trial, and funds were recovered.

He also played a key role in investigating a former Governor of Niger State, Muazu Babangida Aliyu, on a corruption trial. Additionally, he has taken part in numerous operations against cybercafes that are notorious for 419 scams. These operations have resulted in many convictions, contributing to the EFCC’s success in this area.

Controversy

In 2020, an online source reported that Abdulrasheed Bawa was arrested and detained by the EFCC in 2019 when he was in charge of the Port Harcourt zonal office for selling at least 244 trucks worth between N20-30 million each to his proxies at N100,000 per unit.

The EFCC, in a statement, however, denied the allegation against its chairman. 

In another development, Abdurasheed Bawa was sent to prison by Justice R.O Ayoola of the Kogi State High Court for disobeying a Court order. Before this judgment, a judge in an Abuja court sentenced the EFCC boss to jail, which he failed to honour.

The anti-graft agency boss has been accused severally of disobeying court orders, and this has led to nationwide protest with the theme “Bawa Must Go”


Disclaimer

The information in this article was curated from online sources. NewsWireNGR or its editorial team cannot independently verify all details.

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for Live and Entertaining Updates.

Always visit NewsWireNGR for the latest Naija news and updated Naija breaking news.

NewsWireNGRLatest News in Nigeria

Send Us A Press Statement/News Tips on 9ja Happenings: [email protected].

Advertise With Us: [email protected]

Contact Us

LISTEN to NewsWireNGR PODCASTS

- A word from our sponsors -

spot_img

Most Popular

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

More from Author

Cheta Nwanze: Failed visa Marriages

by Cheta Nwanze The 1990 film Green Card told a relatively innocent...

Digital Marketing for Attorneys

In the competitive landscape of legal services, personal injury and medical...

- A word from our sponsors -

spot_img

Read Now

“No Victor, No Vanquished” — Angbazo calls for unity after Nasarawa ADC Governorship Primary win

LAFIA — Retired General Nuhu Angbazo has emerged victorious from the Africa Democratic Congress, ADC, governorship primaries in Nasarawa State, calling on all party faithful to sheathe their swords and rally behind a common vision for the state's development. In a press statement issued shortly after his victory...

Lazarus Angbazo: The Countries that will lead the AI Economy are being decided right Now — By Their PowerGrids

Nigeria has enough installed generation to power a mid-sized country. The grid delivers less than half of it. Around the world, the race to build AI-ready power infrastructure is already underway — and the decisions African governments and investors make in the next eighteen months will determine...

Cheta Nwanze: Failed visa Marriages

by Cheta Nwanze The 1990 film Green Card told a relatively innocent story: a French immigrant and an American woman enter a marriage of convenience so he can stay in the US. They barely know each other. They hope never to see each other again after the deal...

Digital Marketing for Attorneys

In the competitive landscape of legal services, personal injury and medical malpractice attorneys are finding themselves overshadowed by competitors who dominate online visibility. The root of this issue lies in the digital presence that many firms lack. While traditional word-of-mouth referrals still hold value, the digital age...

Lazarus Angbazo: The global power industry is leaving Africa behind

 Dr. Lazarus AngbazoThe nascent AI revolution is not just driving electricity consumption and massive demand for additional capacity—it is reshaping how power is built, maintained, and delivered. For Africa, the real risk is no longer just insufficient capacity—it is also losing control and ability to manage the capacity it...

Bunmi Onabanjo-Kuku: The first thing you feel when you land in Nigeria

By Bunmi Onabanjo-Kuku The first thing you feel when you land in a country is not its culture, not its cuisine, not its people. It is its airport. That threshold, the space between the jet bridge and the city beyond, tells you everything a nation believes about itself...

Dr. Lazarus Angbazo: Why a fractured world strengthens the case for African Infrastructure

How inflation, energy insecurity, power scarcity, and geopolitical fragmentation are reshaping the risk-return case for African infrastructure By Dr. Lazarus Angbazo At a recent global infrastructure summit, the prevailing mood among institutional investors was unmistakable. Faced with surging capital requirements for energy transition, grid expansion, and digital infrastructure in Europe and...

Aliko Dangote to launch what could become Africa’s largest initial public offering to raise $5 billion from investors

Nigeria’s biggest local investor, Aliko Dangote, is moving ahead with plans to launch what could become Africa’s largest initial public offering, as Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals prepares to raise up to $5 billion from investors. The share sale is expected to open as early as May, with...

Criminal networks have turned Nigeria’s telecom towers into open-air warehouses for theft, looting

Criminal networks have turned Nigeria’s telecom towers into open-air warehouses for theft, looting 656 critical power assets across 14 states in 2025 alone and keeping up the pace in early 2026. The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) data showed the haul included 152 generators and 504 batteries stolen from...

Paul Yirenkyi: A call for Caution Needed, President Tinubu and the INEC-ADC Crisis

I have seen enough cycles of tension and resolution to recognise when restraint must prevail over confrontation. The current standoff between the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) is one such moment. In early April 2026, INEC withdrew recognition of the Senator...

Nigeria’s opposition landscape appears increasingly fractured, disorganised and strategically weakened

10 months until the 2027 general elections, Nigeria’s opposition landscape appears increasingly fractured, disorganised and strategically weakened. Although no fewer than 21 political parties have been registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to participate in the polls, developments within the parties, including internal crises, litigations and other destabilising factors, may...

Power shortages weaken Nigeria’s business activity 

Nigeria’s business environment continued to expand in March 2026 but slowed as rising input costs and power supply deficits weighed on performance, according to the latest Business Confidence Monitor (BCM) report by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG). The report indicates that the Current Business Performance Index declined...