On the 14th of June, Nigeria's  Department of State Services (DSS) arrested the EFCC chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa hours after his suspension by President Bola Tinubu. Nothing whatsoever has been heard about him since then. Also, neither has he been charged to court nor regained freedom. This blatantly contravenes Nigeria's human rights law. The DSS has the rights to invite any persons for interrogation, but by the provision of the law must at least obtain a court order for such continuous detention. Section 35(1) of the 1999 Constitution states that: “Every person shall be entitled to his personal liberty and no person shall be deprived of such liberty save in some case and in accordance with a procedure permitted by law…”. Also, Section 35 (4) says categorically that where a person is lawfully arrested, they must be charged to court within “a reasonable time”, which it defines as no more than a period of two days. 

This petition seeks to stop this unconstitutional treatment of Bawa and consequently forestall future possibly unconstitutional treatments by the DSS or other such law enforcement agencies. We will graciously appreciate adding your signature to this petition as it goes a long way in putting an end to this abuse of human rights. Thank you!