Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, has been arrested by the Department of State Services.
He was said to have been arrested over allegations of he owning four properties and transferring funds abroad through a third party.
Magu was arrested at the Wuse II office of the DSS on Monday afternoon and is currently being grilled in an interrogation at the DSS Headquarters In Aso Drive, Abuja.
It would be recalled that in a 2016 report, The DSS revealed that Magu was living in a N40m mansion amongst other allegations.
According to the report, “In December 2010, the Police Service Commission (PSC) found Magu guilty of action prejudicial to state security – withholding of EFCC files, sabotage, unauthorised removal of EFCC files and acts unbecoming of a police officer, and awarded him severe reprimand as punishment.
“Magu is currently occupying a residence rented for N40m at N20m per annum. This accommodation was not paid [for] from the commission’s finances, but by one Umar Mohammed, a retired Air Commodore, a questionable businessman who has subsequently been arrested by the secret service.
“For the furnishing of the residence, Magu enlisted the Federal Capital Development Authority to award a contract to Africa Energy, a company owned by the same Mohammed, to furnish the residence at the cost of N43m.
“Investigations show that the acting EFCC chairman regularly embarked on official and private trips through a private jet owned by Mohammed.
“In one of such trips, Magu flew to Maiduguri alongside Mohammed with a bank MD who was being investigated by the EFCC over complicity in funds allegedly stolen by the immediate past petroleum minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke.
“Furthermore, the EFCC boss has so far maintained a high-profile lifestyle. This is exemplified by his preference for first-class air travels. On 24 June, 2016, he flew Emirate Airlines first-class to Saudi Arabia to perform lesser hajj at the cost of N2.9m. This is in spite of Mr President’s directive to all public servants to fly economy class.
“Magu has fostered a beneficial relationship with Mohammed who by his confession approaches clients for possible exploitation, favours and associated returns,†the DSS report said.
Despite these allegations, there are other reports that praise the EFCC Acting Chairman for several sterling achievements in the battle against graft since he was made the EFCC Acting Chairman.
Reports of the achievement of the EFCC in the last five years include the following:
CONVICTIONS
The commission has secured about 3,379 convictions from 2015 till date and we are still counting. The details are as follows:
2015- 103
2016- 194
2017- 189
2018- 312
2019- 1281
2020- 369 as at June 8
Total- 2,448
It is instructive to note that some of the convictions include ex-governors, top military officers, captains of industries, and other politically exposed persons. Two ex- governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party: Jolly Nyame (Taraba State) and Joshua Dariye Plateau State) are serving their different jail terms in Kuje Prison, Abuja. The commission also secured the conviction of former Abia State Governor, Orji Uzo Kalu, until the Supreme Court recently set aside his conviction on technical grounds and ordered the retrial of the ex-governor. Former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh is also cooling his head in prison, following his conviction over N400million money laundering. A senior lawyer, Dr Paul Nwobike (SAN), was convicted for perverting the cause of justice while the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee (LPPC) withdrew the coveted Senior Advocate of Nigeria from him.
On March 21, 2018 the EFCC secured a “re-conviction†of a pension thief, John Yusuf. The Court of Appeal in Abuja sentenced the former federal civil servant to six years imprisonment for pension fraud and further directed him to pay a fine of N22.9 billion. The appellate court judgement effectively put to rest the controversial verdict delivered by Justice Talba in April 2013. The EFCC deemed the verdict as a miscarriage of justice and subsequently appealed it at the Court of Appeal. The EFCC had argued that the trial judge did not exercise his discretion judicially and judiciously when having convicted the respondent of a three-count charge of conversion of over N3billion contrary to section 309 of the Penal Code, the judge imposed two years imprisonment with an option of fine of N250,000 on each of the three counts.
On January 26, 2018 the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal of the former member of the Kogi State House of Assembly and former caretaker chairman, Ogori/Magongo Local Government Area of Kogi State, Hon Gabriel Daudu, over his conviction on 77-count-charge of money laundering. Daudu, who was first arraigned in April 2010, was prosecuted by the EFCC on a 208-count charge of money laundering and misappropriation of public funds to the tune of N1.4billion. Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Lokoja, Kogi had on April 25, 2016 found him guilty of 77 counts and sentenced him to two years in prison on each, to run concurrently. He had failed at the Court of Appeal to upturn the conviction. He thereafter approached the Supreme Court for redress while the apex court upheld his conviction on the grounds that his asset and properties were not in tandem with his total earnings.
On January 25, 2018, Munir Sagagi, Chairman of the Nigerian Association of Small Scale Industries, Kano Chapter, was sentenced to seven years imprisonment without an option of fine, following his involvement in obtaining N8,750,000 under false pretence. Justice Dije Aboki of the Kano State High Court held that the prosecuting EFCC has proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and further ordered Sagagi to make restitution of N5,500,000 to the complainant.
RECOVERIES
In the last five years, the EFCC has recovered funds in excess of N800billion. Specifically, the commission has recovered N828.6billion; $271.3million; £1.9million, €8,3million and 87,000CFA.
The recoveries, cutting across various sectors of the economy, include cash in local and foreign currencies, real estate, fuel stations, land, automobiles, jets, shops, vessels, hospitals, petroleum products, barges, tugboats, dredgers, farmlands, plazas, electronics, bank accounts, equipment and machinery, hotels, jewellery, restaurants, trucks, radio and television equipment, gold, etc.
WHISTLE-BLOWER POLICY
Acting on the federal government’s Whistle-blowing policy, introduced on December 21, 2016, the first information received by the commission led to the discovery of $9.8million cash hidden in the slum of Sabon Tasha, Kaduna state.
EFCC also recovered humongous cash of $43million, £27,000 and N23million in Osborne, Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos, all of which have now been forfeited to the federal government.
The investigation of arms procurement fraud in the military also led to a number of recoveries, including $1million cash belonging to the late retired Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, former chief of Defence Staff (CDS), the late Air Marshal Alex Barde.
Air Marshal Adesola Amosun, also lost his choice properties and funds to federal government. These include: ₦2.24billion , a house located on Adeyemo Alakija Street, Ikeja GRA, a set of houses in the Badagry area in Lagos, and an ultra-modern hospital, St. Solomon Health Care Limited, located on Adeniyi Jones Avenue in Ikeja, also in Lagos. These have since been forfeited to the federal government.
In the final forfeiture of N1.4billion Paris Club Refund, which Melrose General Services, a firm linked to the immediate past Senate President, Bukola Saraki,the Court of Appeal in Lagos after its ruling, ordered that the sum be forfeited to the federal government.
Saraki also forfeited N220million, alleged money obtained from the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) through false consultancy claims and traced to Wasp Networks Limited and Thebe Wellness Services.
Properties recovered from the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison- Madueke, from 2015 to date are: 76 Housing units and two parcels of land In Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt valued at N4.82billion and $41.7million; two houses in Aso Drive and Asokoro, Abuja valued at N995million and one mansion and twin duplex in Yenagoa, Bayelsa valued at N602.5million.
What of the $40million jewelries found in her house? The sum total of the properties recovered from Diezani inclusive of the Dollars at N420 conversion rate would amount to N23.67billion.
HANDING OVER OF FORFEITED PROPERTIES TO FG AGENCIES
In a novel step to save billions of naira for federal government over annual rent for the MDAS, the EFCC, on July 17, 2019 handed over one of the forfeited properties belonging to former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), the late Air Marshal Alex Badeh, to the Voice of Nigeria, VON, to use as its new headquarters in Abuja.
In the same vein, the EFCC also on Thursday, August 8, 2019, handed over to the North East Development Commission (NEDC), another forfeited property of the late Badeh- a massive 13-bedroom one-storey building- for its operations.
The commission further handed over forfeited properties to the following MDAs for use as their offices:
National Directorate of Employment (NDE).
Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC).
Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
National Directorate of Employment (NDE).
Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM).
Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development
EFCC’s SUPPORT OF THE COVID-19 BATTLE
The EFCC, on Friday, May 15, 2020, handed over a property forfeited by former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Allison-Madueke, to the Lagos State government for use as an isolation centre for COVID-19 patients. The sprawling property, located on the Lagos Island, comprises six flats of three bedrooms and a boys’ quarter . It was forfeited by Mrs Allison-Madueke to the federal government, following an order of the Federal High Court in Lagos in 2017.
EFCC ONSLAUGHT AGAINST CYBERCRIME
The arrest and ongoing prosecution of a social media celebrity and internet fraudster, Ismaila Mustapha (otherwise known as Mompha) and his Lebanese accomplice, Hamza Koudeih, as a landmark achievement in the sustained fight against internet-related frauds and money laundering in the country.
The EFCC is prosecuting Mompha before a Federal High Court in Lagos, following his alleged involvement in N14billion money laundering and operating as Bureau De Change Operator (BDCE) without valid licence.
OPERATION REWIRED:
It is also noteworthy that there was a joint EFCC-FBI operations, codenamed, “Operation Rewired†across the globe aimed at tackling the menace of cybercrime. The development led to the arrest and ongoing prosecution of internet fraudsters ( aka Yahoo-yahoo boys.
It is certain that in recent weeks, Magu has been having a running battle with the Attorney General and is said to have stepped on toes at the high echelons of government.
Magu is yet to be confirmed as the substantive chairman of the EFCC despite occupying the position in acting capacity for many years.
The outcome of this present pass by the anti-graft Czar remains to be seen.
The Lagosian will update you as the situation unfolds.
