Group seeks whereabouts of funds, others recovered by Magu.

A group, Joint Northern Action Front, has called for an end to what it called the persecution of former acting Chairman of Economic and Finanvial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu.

A statement signed by the group’s National Coordinator, Comrade Aminu Adamu Musa, also demanded answers on the whereabouts of funds, other items recovered by Magu.

According to the group, “We demand a comprehensive and acceptable public explanation of the whereabouts of the funds and properties recovered and left behind by Magu. This must include but certainly not limited to:

“The recovered N794 billion, $261 million (about N77.8 billion), £1.1 million, 8,168, 871. 13 Euros, 86,500 CFA.
“Hundreds of properties such as filling stations, petroleum products, land, jewellery, automobiles, real estate, vessels, hospitals, company shares and heavy machinery and broadcast equipment seized from corrupt elements.

“The 407 mansions that were seized, 126 that have been forfeited, 281 under interim forfeiture and nine filling stations also seized and placed under interim forfeiture.

“The 98 plots of land seized of which 56 are under interim forfeiture, and 42 forfeited finally to the Federal Government.

“The 259 automobiles seized with 35 under interim forfeiture and 224 forfeited.

“The hospitals, e.g. the forfeited St. Solomon Health Care Centre Lagos, 1500 metric tonnes of AGO and 3,035 Metric tonnes of LPFO.

Also, the group said it was demanding “explanation with regards to the current position of the high profile investigations initiated by Magu including:

“Top Nigerian contractors who collected huge sums of money from the government and its agencies for key projects and services but abandoned those projects.

” Top Nigerians who looted public treasury to acquire choice property in Dubai and other world capitals, and attempted to dispose of such property to evade arrest, prosecution and forfeiture.

” We demand a review of the process that led to the denial of Magu’s earned promotion or a reasonable and acceptable explanation by the PSC.”

Read the group’s statement below:

July 11, 2021
STATEMENT BY THE JOINT NORTHERN ACTION FRONT DEMANDING END TO MAGU’S PERSECUTION

OBSERVATIONS
We have taken careful assessment of events unfolding in Nigeria since the suspension, arrest, probe and replacement of Mr Ibrahim Magu as the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

We note especially with utter perplexity and concern the unrelenting persecution, intimidation, harassment and embarrassment schemed by certain powerful interests in the Presidency against the former EFCC chairman that involves breaches of laid down administrative processes on discipline, disregard for rule of law and brutal encroachment on his fundamental right to integrity and personal liberty.
As the representatives of the vast majority of youths from Northern Nigeria, JOINT NORTHERN ACTION FRONT is worried that the targeting of Ibrahim Magu and singling him for such prolonged irreverent treatment is part of symptoms of the disquiet in the country that has been exacerbated by political opportunism and corruption that are now fighting back the system.
Conclusively, therefore, the aims of these forces of reaction some of whom are entrenched deeply in the presidency are to subvert and finally halt the war against corruption and reverse the populist tendencies of this government to check the hardships that have been building up since the early part of the previous administration resulting from the massive looting of the treasury and downright theft of the national resources.

CULMINATION OF EVENTS
The conspiracy began with the Senate when Magu, who served as acting chairman of the EFCC from 2015 to 2020, was rejected twice by the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly.
Magu was later suspended without resort to due administrative procedures for allegedly mismanaging funds of the Commission, an allegation which he vehemently denied and is yet to be proved through the due processes of law.

On Monday July 6, 2020, Magu was then accosted and arrested in a Gestapo-like manner reminiscent of the DSS’ raid on the National Assembly in 2018, when his convoy was waylaid by armed security agents.
He was later made to go through a probe for over three mouths by a judicial panel of inquiry led by a former President of the Court of Appeal (PCA), Justice Ayo Salami over alleged mismanagement of recovered assets, corruption, abuse of office and insubordination levelled against him by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami (SAN).

Suspiciously, the Salami-led panel made several recommendations in a report submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday, November 20, 2020.
But the Federal Government White Paper on the on the outcome of Salami report has not been made public till date (about nine mouths after the presentation of the report to Buhari.

The peak of it came on Thursday, July 8, 2021, when the Police Service Commission (PSC) approved the promotion of 24 Commissioners of Police (CPs) to the next rank of Assistant Inspectors General of Police (AIGs) but declined the promotion Magu on the pretext of waiting for clearance from the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice and the Office of the Inspector General of Police.
It is important to place on record here that Magu and Malami have had repeated disagreements on the anti-corruption war with many Nigerians, including a member of a Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), the late Prof Femi Odekunle, believing that Magu’s ordeal is part of a power play by Malami and others who are not comfortable with Magu’s uncompromising
stance on war against graft.

SPECIFIC DEMANDS JOINT NORTHERN ACTION FRONT
Having watched and studied carefully and with considerable objectivity and maturity these infamous actions perpetrated against Magu specifically and against the the government’s concerted efforts to check corruption, and against Nigerians collectively, to the point of condoning several unreasonable and unacceptable breeches, hereby resolves that silence is no longer golden and makes the following key demands:

1. We demand a thorough investigation into the sudden ultra vires suspension from office of Magu and subsequent gestapo style of his embarrassing arrest.
2. We demand the immediate release of the White Paper on the unabridged report of the Justice Ayo Salami-led probe on Magu to the public as well as an explanation as to why the White Paper was delayed for so long.
3. We demand a comprehensive and acceptable public explanation of the whereabouts of the funds and properties recovered and left behind by Magu. This must include but certainly not limited to:
   The recovered N794 billion, $261 million (about N77.8 billion), £1.1 million, 8,168, 871. 13 Euros, 86,500 CFA.
   b. Hundreds of properties such as filling stations, petroleum products, land, jewellery, automobiles, real estate, vessels, hospitals, company shares and heavy machinery and broadcast equipment seized from corrupt elements.
   c. The 407 mansions that were seized, 126 that have been forfeited, 281 under interim forfeiture and nine filling stations also seized and placed under interim forfeiture.
   d. The 98 plots of land seized of which 56 are under interim forfeiture, and 42 forfeited finally to the Federal Government.
   e. The 259 automobiles seized with 35 under interim forfeiture and 224 forfeited.
   f. The hospitals, e.g. the forfeited St. Solomon Health Care Centre Lagos, 1500 metric tonnes of AGO and 3,035 Metric tonnes of LPFO.
4. We demand explanation with regards to the current position of the high profile investigations initiated by Magu including:
   Top Nigerian contractors who collected huge sums of money from the government and its agencies for key projects and services but abandoned those projects.
   b. Top Nigerians who looted public treasury to acquire choice property in Dubai and other world capitals, and attempted to dispose of such property to evade arrest, prosecution and forfeiture.
5. We demand a review of the process that led to the denial of Magu’s earned promotion or a reasonable and acceptable explanation by the PSC.
6. We demand action from northern royal fathers, cultural and religious leaders and groups, lawyers and other stakeholders raising voices against the continues intimation and persecution of their son.