Born in Kebbi State, Abdulrasheed Bawa began his career in 2004 when he joined the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Nigeria. Throughout his two-decade tenure with the commission, Abdulrasheed Bawa achieved significant results in the country’s fight against financial crime.

In this work, he showed consistent dedication and professional competence. Mr. Bawa entered the EFCC as an assistant detective superintendent and earned promotions during his tenure. The commission appointed him to lead the investigation of former petroleum resources minister Diezani Alison-Madueke. He also served on prosecution teams handling cases involving bank fraud, money laundering, and corruption, among other crimes. Before his 2021 appointment as chairman, he held the position of deputy chief superintendent at the anti-graft agency.

As EFCC’s chair, Abdulrasheed Bawa introduced substantial institutional reforms. Under his leadership the commission established two directorates, intelligence and procurement, to enhance investigations and internal operations. It also developed 25 new policies and manuals alongside 26 standard operating procedures to guide departments and staff. Mr. Bawa pushed for updated policies, including those that addressed staff welfare, sexual harassment, firearm protocols, and document handling. He also launched Eagle Eye, a mobile app that enables citizens to easily report economic and financial crimes. These reforms improved the commission’s effectiveness. The EFCC secured 3,785 convictions in 2022, and achieved a 98.93 percent prosecution success rate.

Abdulrasheed Bawa