Northern group, Kanuri Collective Agenda (KCA), has flayed the attempt by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami to drag the reputation of the acting Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu in the mud.
According to media reports, Malami had written President Muhammadu Buhari recommending the sack of Magu based on several grounds “raging from diversion of recovered loot to insubordination and misconduct.”
The justice minister also accused the EFCC boss of disclosing a total naira recovery of N504 billion amid claims by a close associate of the EFCC boss that he actually lodged N543 billion in the Recovery Account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), exceeding the disclosed figures by N39 billion.
Reacting to the allegation, KCA, in a statement by its spokesman, Malam Waziri Ibrahim, said Malami had made a mockery of Buhari’s anti-corruption war and exposed his administration to ridicule.
The group urged Buhari to relieve Malami of his job before he wrecked more damage to the administration’s fight against graft.
KCA quoted the PDP as saying that it was the worst national embarrassment in the history of Nigeria, for the head of an anti-corruption agency in an administration that prides itself on zero tolerance for corruption, “being dragged on allegation of diversion of recovered funds and fraudulent sale of assets seized by the agency.”
“By making such weighty allegation against Magu, the justice minister has only succeeded in telling the opposition and the international community that Buhari’s anti-corruption war is a farce because the champion of the anti-graft war is corruption-personified.The allegation also implies that Mr. President is running a very corrupt administration. Magu’s anti-corruption war has earned national and international accolades for this administration, which Malami has rubbished with his memo to Mr. President.”
