EXCLUSIVE: Magu begs Buhari’s Chief of Staff, Gambari to stop CCB probe

Suspended acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, is said to have reached out to President Muhammadu Buhari’s chief of staff, Ibrahim Gambari, to intervene and stop a fresh investigation on him by the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, Daily Record reports.

The CCB is currently investigating Magu for failing to declare some of his accounts and assets on his asset declaration form.

In a letter dated November 2, 2020, with reference number CCB/HQ/II&M/007/2093 and signed by its Director of Intelligence, Investigation & Monitoring, Gwimi S. P, the CCB asked Magu to appear before the anti-corruption agency on November 17, 2020. The suspended EFCC boss was asked to come along with acknowledgment copies of all asset declaration forms since joining the public service as well as his pay slips and land documents.

It was, however, learnt that Magu failed to honour the request of the CCB but wrote a letter instead, explaining that he would not be able to do so.

In the letter, the suspended EFCC boss said all the necessary documents were in his office at the EFCC headquarters and he had been denied access to the office due to his suspension. He subsequently informed the CCB that he would not be able to honour its invitation.

However, sources in the know reliably informed Daily Record that Magu is said to be begging the chief of staff to the president through a top All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain to help plead with the president to order for a stop to further probe on the matter.

The chief of staff is, however, said to have rejected the plea stressing that justice should be served as no one is above the law.

“Magu must face the law like any other individual. Nobody is above the law, not even him. If he is suspected to be on the other side of the law, justice must take its course in its fullness; it must be fully served as all of us are equal before the law,” he was quoted to have said.

Magu was suspended in July 2020 following allegations levelled against him by a panel set up by the attorney general of the Federation, Abubakar Malami.

He was accused of buying a home in Dubai worth over N570m and being unable to account for the interest accrued to over N500bn recovered by the EFCC, but he denied the allegations.

President Buhari subsequently set up a panel headed by a former president of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami, to look into the allegations. Over 13 senior EFCC officials loyal to Magu, including the EFCC secretary, Ola Olukoyede, were suspended by the president pending the outcome of the probe.

The Justice Salami panel, which submitted its report to the president on Friday, Daily Record learnt, has however, recommended the sack of Magu and also asked the president to appoint a new EFCC chairman in an interim position for two years.