 |
| EFCC Chairman; Ibrahim Magu |
In today's political news headline, SaharaReporters has learned that the report carried by
several newspapers and blogs claiming President Muhammadu Buhari had
sacked Ibrahim Magu as the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC) was untrue.
Saharareporters spoke earlier today with Attorney General of the
Federation, Abubakar Malami, and he denied claims by various
publications that he had directed Mr. Magu to hand over the affairs of
the anti-corruption body to the EFCC’s director of operations. Also, a
senior source at Nigeria Police headquarters in Abuja told
SaharaReporters that media reports to the effect that Mr. Magu had been
redeployed were false.
However, Mr. Malami disclosed that he had submitted to President
Buhari the report of an investigation into allegations made by Lawan
Daura, the Director General of the Directorate of State Services (DSS),
against Mr. Magu.
Mr. Magu, who investigated and helped launch a prosecution of Senate
President Bukola Saraki for falsifying his asset declarations, has faced
reprisal from senators as well as some members of Mr. Buhari’s inner
circles determined to thwart his confirmation as chair of the
anti-corruption agency.
Early December, senators refused to screen him
for confirmation, citing a DSS report that claimed Mr. Magu had ties to a
target of graft investigations and had benefited financially from such
ties. The controversial roadblock by senators came a day before the
Senate recessed for Christmas vacation.
SaharaReporters had in several reports revealed that a cabal at the
Presidency was behind maneuvers to remove Mr. Magu from the EFCC. The
cabal, which includes Chief of Staff Abba Kyari, Mr.
Daura of the DSS,
and Mr. Malami, has unsuccessfully tried to stop the prosecution of
Senator Saraki as well as other major corruption suspects, among them
oil tycoon Jide Omokore. Mr. Omokore’s Atlantic Energy was deeply
involved in fraudulent oil swap deals approved by former Petroleum
Minister, Diezani Alison Madueke, who fled to the UK just before Mr.
Buhari came to office.
SaharaReporters learned that members of the cabal at the Presidency
were behind the rumors that President Buhari had sacked Mr. Magu.
Speaking to our reporter, Nigeria’s Attorney General, Mr. Malami,
said he suspected that the news reports were being used to pre-empt his
report to the President. He, however, declined to disclose whether his
report was in favor or against Mr. Magu.
However, two sources at the Presidency told SaharaReporters that Mr.
Malami, Mr. Kyari, and Mr.
Daura had begun headhunting for a new EFCC
acting chairman. Our sources said the two prominent names being
considered by the cabal to replace Mr. Magu are one Abdulrahman and a
retired Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Sotonye Wakama.
Source SaharaReporters
0 comments:
Post a Comment