Egmont suspension: CSOs raise the alarm over manipulation of proceedings by AGF’s aide

• Say Magu not frustrating war against graft
• ‘Bickering between Malami, Magu, embarrassment to FG’

Six civil society organizations (CSO) have raised the alarm of certain individuals, using the name of the Attorney- General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami (SAN), to manipulate the proceedings of the committee set up by the federal government over the suspension of Nigeria from the Egmont Group.

The groups also condemned what they described as the deepening disharmony currently existing between the office of the AGF and the and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

In a statement jointly signed by the CSOs, the group stated that the development is an embarrassment to the Federal government that is capable of weakening its anti-corruption drive.

The statement was jointly signed by Chido Onumah of the African Centre for Media & Information Literacy; Olanrewaju Suraju,Civil Society Network Against Corruption; Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre; Mohammed Attah (Procurement Observation and Advocacy Initiative; George-Hill Anthony (Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group and Ibrahim Modibbo of the Democrats of Conscience.

The CSOs also insisted that the acting EFCC chairman, Mr.Ibrahim Magu, is not the stumbling block to the status of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) and the country’s suspension from the Egmont Group.

The groups therefore urged the AGF and his aides to allow the committee set up by the federal government to resolve the suspension issue to do its job.

The groups added that it was wrong for the AGF’s aide to write on the ongoing proceedings of the committee set up by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and made unfounded allegations against Magu.

They further questioned the use of the AGF’s office in the article when the committee is yet to conclude its assignment.

The groups said, “ It is unacceptable for somebody to write an article on a sensitive issue and proceeded to accuse Magu of frustrating the war against corruption without concrete evidence.

“ The fact of the matter is that the suspension of Nigeria from Egmont Group is being addressed and that is why the committee is set up to resolve the status of NFIU and where it should be domiciled.

“The global practice is that over hundred countries in the world including the United Kingdom, United States and Germany usually domicile their Finance Intelligence Unit (FIUs) under some anti-graft bodies and the police as their FIUs are not autonomous.

“It is only about four smaller countries including Ghana that have autonomous FIUs. So there is the need for the general public to know the truth and we believe that the committee will come up with the recommendations that will resolve the suspension issue.

“The committee’s proceedings should not be manipulated by certain fifth columnists for selfish agenda.
“The story of what led to the suspension of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) from the Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units, an informal network of national financial intelligence units, is already well known and has nothing to do with Ibrahim Magu or the EFCC.

“Since the government has set up a committee to address the issue, we urge that the committee be allowed to do its job without interference, though we believe the committee has already been infiltrated by fifth columnists who are
using the committee’s name to push personal objectives”.

On the issue of transfer of case files of high profile cases to the office of the AGF, the groups recalled the number of cases that were sent to the AGF’s office and were reportedly messed up.

The groups cited the Malabu case and that of the judges who were arrested for alleged corruption by the Department of State Security, DSS, saying that the AGF has not fared well in prosecuting them.

They said, “By calling for all case files of politically exposed persons, we see the desperation of the AGF to assert his position as Chief Law Officer of the Federation. That position is not in doubt and we don’t want to believe the EFCC as an institution has given any indication that it was unwilling to yield to the directive.

“We are reliably informed that a good number of cases have been sent by the agency to the AGF, including the controversial Malabu case which sources in the AGF office confirmed receiving in January this year. As at the time of this release, the AGF has done nothing about the case?

“We also want to draw the attention of the public to the fact that even in cases such as the ones involving judges arrested for alleged corruption by the DSS, the AGF has not fared well in prosecuting them.

“We would like the AGF to tell Nigerians the successful convictions his office has secured in the fight against corruption in the last 2 years.

“On the other hand, this year alone, the EFCC going by records available to the public, secured 124 convictions as at the end of July.”

Calling on the AGF to leave Magu alone to concentrate on the anti-corruption drive of President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, the groups commended the EFCC over the successes recorded so far.

The CSOs further said that in addition to these convictions, the quantum of assets recovered under the current acting chairman of EFCC is unprecedented.

The groups said, “Several assets worth billions of Naira have been frozen by court orders pending the determination of substantive cases. Others have been recovered under the civil recovery process.

“If the EFCC appears reluctant to yield to the AGF’s demand for case files of high profile suspects being prosecuted by the Commission, our belief is that it is not without reason.”

The groups while accusing Malami of instigating his aides to incite the people and the President against Magu urged him to tell Nigerians how much stolen assets he has repatriated from foreign countries since he assumed office about two years ago.

The Daily Times recalls that the bickering between the EFCC, and the AGF had last week assumed a different dimension as the AGF accused the EFCC of frustrating the fight against corruption.

This was coming few weeks after the EFCC denied that there was no misunderstanding between the commission and the AGF.

It all started when the AGF requested for files of high profile cases and corrupt public office holders which the EFCC declined.

But the office of the AGF had last week openly attacked Magu of frustrating the war against corruption and behaving as if the commission is an island.

The AGF further went on to accuse the EFCC of doing everything to frustrate the lifting of Egmont suspension on the grounds that the EFCC would not accede to lose control of NFIU.

Francesca Iwambe, Abuja