Nigeria's President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has suspended the country's anti-corruption chief as part of an investigation into allegations of abuse of office, the government said, and he was later questioned by domestic security services.
The suspension of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) chairman AbdulRasheed Bawa was the second dismissal of a top official by Tinubu since he came to office two weeks ago promising economic reforms.
"Mr Bawa has been directed to immediately handover the affairs of his office to the Director, Operations in the Commission, who will oversee the affairs of the Office of the Chairman of the Commission pending the conclusion of the investigation," the government statement said late Wednesday.
'Weighty allegations'
It said the suspension followed "weighty allegations of abuse of office levelled against him".
The Department of State Services (DSS) domestic security and intelligence agency later said it questioned Bawa.
"Bawa arrived a few hours ago. The invitation relates to come investigative activities concerning him," it said.
Bawa's suspension follows the ousting and arrest of Nigeria's central bank chief Godwin Emef iele, who was detained by the domestic security services last week as part of a probe into his role.
Corruption perception
Tinubu's predecessor Muhammadu Buhari made anti-graft a major part of his campaigns for election in 2015 and re-election in 2019, but Nigeria remains one of the lowest ranked on Transparency International's widely watched corruption perception index.
The EFCC investigates money-laundering, graft and other financial crimes such as internet scams.
Tinubu, who came to power at the end of last month following a highly contested February presidential election, promised reforms t o help Africa's largest economy and one of the continent's top oil producers.
The presidency statement did not give more details about the allegations against the EFCC chairman. Few official details have emerged also about charges against the central bank chief.
Emefiele had been seen by critics as the architect of Buhari's tight currency controls and complex foreign exchange system.
