How Mohammed Umar became Magu’s replacement as EFCC boss

By Bashir Adefaka

Last week was extraordinarily eventful with many activities centered mainly on the leadership of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).  One of these activities, aside the invitation by presidential panel investigating corruption allegations leveled against the agency’s acting chairman Ibrahim Mustapha Magu, was the detention his detention that followed.

He has continued to stay in the FCID’s custody since Monday July 6, 2020 the day of his first appearance before the investigative panel sitting inside the Aso Rock Presidential Villa and his security details stood down.

After the confusion as to whether his means of getting to the panel was through an arrest by the Department of State Service (DSS) or not though such insinuation was swiftly dismissed by Dr. Peter Afunanya, the DSS’ spokesman, the Presidency in a statement by Mallam Garba Shehu, copy of which was sent to The DEFENDER, eventually cleared the air as to why the hunted hunter was brought under investigation.  He said there were series of allegations levelled against Ibrahim Magu.

Although in the presidential statement received by us, there was no place suspension and replacement of Magu were mentioned, sideline report had it that President Muhammadu Buhari, according to the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, had approved the suspension of the anti-corruption fighter and appointment of Mohammed Abba Umar, a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) as the new Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC).  Both statements from the Presidency and AGF’s office – by interpretation – confirmed that Magu was suspended and replaced.

This finally cleared an earlier question about the Secretary to the EFCC, Mr. Olanipekun Olukoyede, being the replacement.

Umar, who is EFCC’s Director of Operations, was asked to take charge and oversee the operations and activities of the anti-corruption agency pending the conclusion of the ongoing investigation on the allegations against Ibrahim Magu and further directives in that regards.

The DEFENDER however confirmed that information about Magu’s suspension and replacement came via a press statement issued in Abuja on Friday July 10, 2020 by the Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister for Justice, Dr. Umar Gwandu.

The statement revealed that the former acting Chairman of EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, was suspended by the President in order to allow for an unhindered probe by the Presidential Investigation Panel which is headed by Retired Justice Ayo Salami under the Tribunal of Inquiry Act and other relevant laws.

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN) who made the announcement on Friday in a statement by his media aide, Dr. Umar Gwandu said the approval  was in order to allow for unhindered inquiry by the Presidential Investigation Panel under the Tribunals of Inquiry Act and other relevant laws.

“President Buhari has approved that Umar should take charge and oversee the activities of the Commission pending the conclusion of the ongoing investigation and further directives in that regards,” Malami was quoted as saying.

The presidential panel was set up to investigate various cases of official misconduct and financial irregularities against Ibrahim Magu, who has been in detention since Monday, July 6, following his invitation for questioning by the panel.

The allegations were made, strictly as official duty demands, by the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), who demanded for his removal as the acting Chairman of the EFFC in a memo to President Muhammadu Buhari.

The DEFENDER reports that probe of Magu has not gone down well with some lawyers including Femi Falana (SAN) who have slammed President Muhammadu Buhari’s government for doing so.  They say the probe of the EFCC boss meant that the administration’s anti-corruption fight has failed and that there is no EFCC in Nigeria but one allegedly controlled by a cabal in the presidency.

The Presidency, however, fired back in a clarifying statement by Garba Shehu, educating the critics and members of the public, yearning to know what actually happened, to see how the investigation of Ibrahim Magu is an indication that anti-corruption under President Buhari is real.

Following sundry allegations contained in petitions against Magu by the Department of State Service and the AGF, Buhari constituted the Justice Ayo Salami-led panel to probe Magu following petitions by Malami and the Department of State Service (DSS).

Apart from a damning DSS report, Malami, in a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari had detailed alleged cases of malfeasance against Magu, and sought his sacking for alleged corruption and insubordination.

Malami’s memo which was said to contain 22 allegations against the embattled EFCC chairman also accused Magu of diversion of recovered loot.

Given the antecedents that characterized the emergence and eventual exit of previous chairmen of the anti-graft agency not many Nigerians see the appointment of the EFCC’s Director of Operations, DCP Mohammed Abba Umar, to take charge of the Commission, as a tea party.

For him to succeed, multiple sources within and outside the EFCC, referred to in a media report, said the new acting chairman, Umar, must learn from the experience of his predecessors, especially the suspended Magu. This they predicated on the fact that since the establishment of the EFCC in 2003 to investigate financial crimes in Nigeria, the agency has had a history of chairmen with unceremonious exit.