Ibrahim Magu, the disgraced EFCC Acting Chairman
In an apparent move to weed out all officials of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that are close to the suspended Acting Chairman Ibrahim Magu, the President Muhammadu Buhari administration has flushed out all the operatives considered to be too loyal and committed to the embattled officer.
Numbering about 20, the officials who the government has identified as ‘Magu boys’ include zonal and sectional heads that were the arrowheads of the EFCC’s investigations, arrest and prosecution over the years. These officials, according to a close source, are believed to be handling ‘very sensitive corruption cases’ some of which involve very senior government officials and politicians in both the ruling APC and the opposition PDP as well as top businessmen and allies of politicians across the country.
Magu boys are likely to be replaced with another set of officers to be selected by the Presidency after the emergence of a new EFCC boss. The source told Vanguard one of Nigeria’s traditional newspapers that the officials, whose offences were not disclosed as at the time of filing the report last night, were redeployed to the Police Headquarters based on the instruction of the Federal Government.
The official said: “Please don’t forget that these are very brilliant officers who were on top of very sensitive cases involving all categories of politicians and businessmen across the country who sacrificed their health, time and safety to investigate economic and financial crimes and bring the culprits to book but they have now been flushed in one fell swoop.
“They still have a career to pursue in the police force and for this reason, their names are undisclosed for now and no offence has been levied against any of them by the federal government as we speak,” the official said. It will be recalled that Magu had been allowed to appear before the Jusice Ayo Salami panel on Monday and was asked general questions based on issues raised against him but the panel is yet to avail him with the details of the accusations levelled against him.
Shortly after taking him on, the panel adjourned sitting till Tuesday next week when it is expected Magu would be formally confronted with the allegations and his response taken. The panel had insisted that it would only allow Magu to speak after hearing from all those who have something to say against him.
