The war against corruption is now total – Magu

The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu Thursday, said the war against corruption “is now total”.

According to The Nation, Mr Magu said he is more determined to fight corruption to a standstill and to sustain “the current momentum”.

“We’re now going to declare total war on corruption. It is our responsibility to crush corrupt practices in this country,” he said.

Highlights:

  • He described the biggest challenge to the Buhari administration’s anti-graft crusade as “corruption fighting back”.
  • Magu said there were no fewer than 125 high profile corruption cases still “hanging in court” – Magu blamed it all on Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), who he said were used by rich and powerful suspects to frustrate cases. “How can 31 SANs go to court to defend one (suspected) looter?… Why should 31 SANs appear for a suspect? We need to ask questions,” Magu said.
  • “We investigate better than any other law enforcement agency in this country, including the police,” he said.
  • Also… “I am a law-abiding citizen. I respect constituted authority,” Magu said, adding that he duly handed over the list of high profile cases as requested by AGF Abubakar Malami (SAN).
  • On loot recovery, Magu said one of EFCC’s strategies was to recover assets and funds suspected to be proceeds of crime by applying to the court for interim forfeiture orders, publishing a 14-day notice for the owners to show up, and then applying for a final forfeiture.
  • Magu denied that former Bayelsa State Governor Timipre Sylva, who is under EFCC investigation, had retrieved properties seized from him by the commission…“We have not released any property to Sylva,” Magu said.
  • On his non-confirmation by the Senate, Magu said: “I strongly believe in God. When it’s time to leave I’ll leave.”
  • On the threat by the Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units to expel the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) for not being an independent entity, Magu claimed there were moves to meet the group’s demands long before the Senate intervened – there were moves to make NFIU a separate unit within the anti-graft agency and to secure the tenure of its director so it is not tied to that of the EFCC chairman.
  • He said the war against corruption could not be successfully fought without media support. “I believe all journalists are corruption fighters. Let everybody do the right thing. Let us mobilise everybody’s support in the fight against corruption. Consider yourself as if working for the EFCC. Corruption is the worst developmental problem we have in this country. We need more support. This fight is for our collective good… We need your collective support in whatever we’re doing. You have supported us and we ask for more support. We owe a duty to this country. We must do the right thing for our collective good.”

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