BEVERLY HILLS, July 6, (THEWILL)- The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu was taken into custody Monday night after interrogation by the Presidential Panel investigating his tenure as head of the agency.
Operatives of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) took him away to their headquarters from the Presidential Villa, where the panel grilled him for hours.
THEWILL gathered that Magu is being pressured to step down from the post but he has so far refused to handover to the most senior official at the agency.
He is expected to attend another round of questioning Tuesday with the Presidential Panel.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami in a memo to President Muhammadu Buhari accused the EFCC head of graft and insubordination, prompting the president to appoint a panel headed by a retired Justice of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami to investigate the allegations.
There has been no love lost between Magu and Malami.
THEWILL had exclusively reported that Mr. Malami, urged the President to pick a retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Sani Usman, who the President had already vetted for the job as new Chairman of the anti-graft agency.
THEWILL had also reported that Mr. Malami in the memorandum, also recommended two others — the FCT Commissioner of Police, Mr. Bala Ciroma, who had previously served as the EFCC Head of Operations, and a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG, from Kebbi State – as replacement for Mr. Magu.
Mr. Magu was appointed head of the agency on November 9, 2015. The Senate rejected his confirmation twice following a damaging report by the DSS that accused of him graft. However, with the President’s backing he remained on the job in acting capacity.
About the Author
