The Nigerian Governors Forum (EFCC) has revealed plans to
petition the Federal Government over the activities of the Chairman of the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu.
According to Punch, this was disclosed by the chairman of
the forum and Governor of Zamfara
State Abdulaziz Yari.
The Governor, speaking to journalists on Thursday, said that
EFCC engages in media trials, never tidying their cases before proceeding to
court, hence their losses.
He said governors are tired of being harassed by Magu.
“To me, I am going to write to the Federal Government that
enough is enough; that either the EFCC should do its work or we should ‘do
showdown’ with them (EFCC) because nobody became governor to be intimidated, to
be harassed, to be abused by a DCP (Deputy Commissioner of Police, Magu).
The problem with the EFCC is that it only wants Nigerians to
know it has invited a governor or that one former governor is arrested.
The commission will not tidy its work before going to court.
It goes to court and lose all the cases because of the way it initiates the
case; but never do so to achieve success.
You can’t fight corruption that way and forever, they (EFCC)
will not achieve anything,” Yari said.
He also addressed the case EFCC has against him, where he
was accused of diverting parts of the Paris Club refund for his personal use. A
Federal High Court had ordered that the sums of N500m and $500,000, said to
have been diverted from the Paris Club refund be temporarily forfeited to the
Federal Government.
The sums of money were said to have been recovered from two
companies – First Generation Mortgage Bank Limited and Gosh Projects Limited –
which were allegedly linked to Yari.
According to Yari:
In the case of my humble self, I have no idea why the EFCC
is actually interested in the issue of the London Paris Club refund.
It has been on this since inception up till now. It has been
repeating, contradicting so many things especially about personalities.
So, if there is anything wrong there, it should approach the
person whom it suspects did something wrong, and not to be making noise about
it.
I challenge the chairman of EFCC to open up and say if he
has ever come to me and interviewed me about what happened.
We didn’t commit any fraud. I am not a signatory to that
account but I am the head. We have director-general, we have head of finance,
we have other officers of finance.
So, it is what governors agree that I, as chairman, append
my signature on. So now, they are saying $86m fraud, N19bn fraud, $3m hotel;
which one do we believe?
When it came to the issue of hotel, I challenge them that
wherever they sighted a hotel in Lekki or anywhere, let them present it to the
public and how did $2m get in there, through who, through which account? Who
made the payment? Who is the owner of the property initially that took the
money.
Is the EFCC saying that before I became a governor, I didn’t
have N150m? In my Code of Conduct papers, I have property and money worth
billions.
Because, to the best of my knowledge, the EFCC was set up
for the nation not for the governors.
But since the establishment of the EFCC in 2004, if I am not
mistaken, the EFCC has been pursuing governors.
To me, I am going to write to the Federal Government that
enough is enough; that either the EFCC should do its work or we should do
showdown with them (EFCC) because nobody became governor to be intimidated, to
be harassed, to be abused by a DCP (Deputy Commissioner of Police).
The problem with the EFCC is that it only wants Nigerians to
know it has invited a governor or that one former governor is arrested.
The commission will not tidy its work before going to court.
It goes to court and lose all the cases because of the way it initiates the
case; but never do so to achieve success.
You can’t fight corruption that way and forever, they (EFCC)
will not achieve anything.
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