Corruption is a fight to finish; DSS cannot stop me- Magu

Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Ibrahim Magu, has said that whether he is confirmed by the Senate or not, the battle against corruption in the country is a fight to finish, adding that negative reports from the Department of State Services (DSS) cannot stop him.

Magu told newsmen while addressing some Civil Society organisations who gathered at the main entrance of the National Assembly to receive him that his non-confirmation has not changed anything after going through confirmation screening at the senate chambers on Wednesday in Abuja.

This was a fallout of the Senate’s action on Wednesday dashing the hope of Magu as it again rejected his nomination by President Muhammadu Buhari who had re-presented his name for confirmation as substantive Chairman.

The Senate had predicated Magu’s rejection on a fresh report by the Department of State Security (DSS) that the Acting Chairman of the EFCC has not passed integrity test and hence, would not support his confirmation.

Speaking with members of the Civil Society Organisations, Magu said: “My priority is to fight corruption. My confirmation has not changed anything, I will work until the last day whether confirmed or not.

“The greatest violation against human right is crime against society and humanity, but everybody has a duty and responsibility to fight corruption and I also have a responsibility. I assure you that we will fight to finish.”

When asked if he was threatened by the allegations from the DSS, Magu said: “Those allegations cannot stand the test of time, because these allegations cannot be proved. You know, you cannot just raise mere allegations without giving the person opportunity to answer you. There is fundamental human right; right of fair hearing is there.
“Up till this time DSS has not called me and I am even surprised that the same report is coming back and this time around it is signed by somebody which I doubt the genuineness of that report, but I think we need to identify those who have the interest of this country at heart.

“What we are doing is to recover what has got lost before and protect the future of our children. So, if we do not work today against corruption the future of our children is not guaranteed. We must all wake up, wherever you find yourself fight corruption and anytime you discover that I am corrupt please expose me,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of the Civil Society Organisations gathered to receive him, Co-convener, Citizen Action To Take Back Nigeria (CATBAN), Comrade Ibrahim Garba Wala, said Nigerians and President Muhamnadu Buhari believe in the nomination of Mr. Magu as the chairman of EFCC, hence, the Senate have no choice.

Wala said their gathering to receive Magu was a part of activities to create awareness among Nigerians so as to know the true position of what was happening.

“We are here in solidarity with the man we feel is a right man for the job and he should be confirmed, that is why we are here,” Wala said.

However, the upper legislative chamber which had three months earlier rejected the nomination of Magu for confirmation, predicating its decision on same advice by the DSS under the incumbent Director General, Lawal Daura, came up with another report again leading to his rejection.

The Senate President, Bukola Saraki had said the Senate would formally make a request for President Muhammadu Buhari to nominate a new candidate as the Chairman of the EFCC, against the backdrop of the rejection of Magu.

It was glaring that Senators had beforehand, concluded never to clear Magu as most questions fired at him insistently indicated that the Senate was bent on mauling him on the basis of integrity question, anchored on the DSS report.

At a point the Acting Chairman of the EFCC lost his cool as hot questions visibly overwhelmed him, just as he rubbished the DSS report being alluded to. He complained that two of the reports filed before the Senate same day and same time were signed by same person.

Magu expressed suspicion on the DSS reports, averring that the manner they were filed before the Senate had raised credibility question on the DSS as an institution.

Indication that the Senate meant business with Magu emerged when Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West) after Saraki had drawn curtain on Magu’s case raised a motion to suggest that the Acting EFCC Chairman should, on getting to the office, hand over to the most senior officer.

His motion was over ruled by the Senate President who implied that the rejection of Magu will necessitate President Buhari to nominate a new candidate to take over the ECCC.

Magu who entered the Senate Chambers at 12.05 pm, went through almost 2 hours of drilling from Senators who threw at him different questions ranging from the report against him by the DSS, continued detention of the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Ibrahim Dasuki, alleged flouting of court orders by the EFCC, continued detention of suspects without trial among others.

Initially, Magu was at peace taking the questions and providing answers to the best of his ability until Saraki recognised Dino Melaye who made issues out of the DSS reports and insisted that the DSS, was, indeed, never disposed to having Magu cleared.

Dino told his colleagues that the DSS up till Tuesday still wrote to advise that the issue of integrity should not be ignored against Magu by the Senate.

He quoted from the DSS report which read, “In the light of the foregoing, Magu has failed the integrity test and will eventually constitute a liability to the anti-corruption stand of the current government.”

Senators Biodun Olujimi, Hope Uzodima, Isa Misau, Barnabas Gemade and several others drawn from the camp of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were obviously not on the side of Magu, given their insistence that the Acting EFCC chairman still had a lot of explaining to make on the integrity questions raised by the DSS against him.

In his defence, Magu said he was not given a fair hearing by the DSS before making conclusions in its report, stressing, however that up till the time he appeared for clearance in the Senate, he had never been invited by the agency.

He had earlier listed efforts the EFCC under him have made to raise the bar on the war against corruption in Nigeria, stressing that corruption has been the major cause of the recession which according to him Nigeria is currently grappling with.

He dismissed insinuations that he has been fighting corruption with pressure from the executive arm of government, stating that the Presidency had no hand in the way and manner the EFCC has been fighting corruption.

He told the Senate that corruption had permeated every fabric of the Nigerian society including the EFCC, noting that it takes stronger efforts for the menace to be tamed in Nigeria, just as he promised to do all within his capacity to sustain the war against corruption in the country.