Magu: Salami’s panel bids for extension of probe

By Tunde Opalana

Daily Times gathered that the Justice Ayo Salami Presidential panel probing the suspended acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, has requested a two-week extension to conclude its assignment.

The request for more time negates earlier reports in the media that the panel had submitted its report to President Muhammadu Buhari in which it recommended Magu’s sack as EFCC acting chairman and subsequent prosecution for corruption and abuse of office.

READ ALSO: Edo/Ondo Election: Postponement will cause constitutional crisis – INEC

A source close to the panel said the Salami’s inquiry team particularly wanted Magu to answer an allegation of shielding from arrest and prosecution, one Aboubakar Hima, a national of the Niger Republic, a military contractor who is accused by the Presidency of laundering $25million since 2017.

Hima, was said to have been declared wanted recently by Magu’s successor, Mohammed Umar, the former Director of Operations at the EFCC.

The panel also believed that the two-week extension will enable it to conclude investigations concerning all the other allegations levelled against Magu.

Hima, the 46-year-old Nigerien national alleged to have been used to launder $25million stolen from Nigeria through the purchase of a military helicopter valued at $5million, is suspected to be enjoying the protection of Magu from being arrested and prosecuted since 2017.

According to the source, Magu was said to have neglected an intelligent report and recommendation to the Federal Government by the United States government on the Nigerien national three years ago.

This, it was further learnt has been frustrating efforts by the Federal Government to apprehend the suspect and recover the laundered money.

Magu was said to have acted against the directive of the Presidency that the Nigerien military contractor, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Societe D’Equipment Internationaux, and his collaborators, be arrested and prosecuted.

Magu, it was further learnt, rather allegedly issued the Nigerien military contractor an EFCC clearance letter while also giving him protection from arrest in the past three years. A copy of the clearance letter, it was learnt, is already before the panel, a development which Magu himself is said to be aware of.

The panel was said to have requested the Presidency for copies of the documents related to the case of the Nigerien military contractor, which it was obliged.

The new acting chairman of the EFCC, Muhammed Umar, according to EFCC source has declared the Nigerien military contractor wanted for “criminal conspiracy, contract scam, misappropriation of public funds, money laundering and fraud to the tune of over $394million, E9.9m and N369million.”

The former Director of Operations at the EFCC, Mohammed Umar, has been in charge of the commission in acting capacity since July 6 when Magu was taken before the panel by a combined team of Department of State Services and officers from the Force Criminal Investigation Department of the police in Abuja.

He was detained at the Area 10 FCT police command for nine days before being granted bail.

Magu’s ordeal began after the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami sent a memo to President Buhari in which he accused the suspended EFCC boss of “grave malfeasance.”

He was alleged to have mishandled the recovered loot and sold seized assets to his associates.

He has since denied all the allegations.