President Muhammadu Buhari, on Friday, observed the Juma’at prayers inside the State House mosque, the first after returning from his vacation in the UK last week. Shortly after the prayer, the President shook hands with some members of the congregation before returning to his office. Those who joined him for the prayer included the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Ibrahim Magu, the Director-General of Department of State Services (DSS) Lawal Daura.
The duo of Magu and Daura are coming face-to-face for the first time after the Senate dramatically refused to confirm the acting EFCC chairman’s appointment, based on a report from the DSS, which reportedly said the anti-graft boss had integrity issues. The brief encounter caused some worshippers to stare at the duo.
Also in attendance were Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), retired Col. Hameed Ali, Governor of Kano State Abdullahi Ganduje, the National Security Adviser, retired Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, the Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau and Senator Abu Ibrahim (APC, Katsina South), among others.
Magu was later sighted at the forecourt of the President’s office discussing with the NSA, Monguno, and a few other presidential aides. The EFCC chairman left the Presidential Villa without speaking to correspondents as he promised after his arrival.
Reporters had waited at the corridor leading to the Council Chamber, the walkway Magu usually used to speak with them but were disappointed when he drove out with the NSA from the Presidential fore-court.
Meanwhile, others who participated in the prayer included the Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mallam Abubakar Malami, Minister of Interior, Major-General Abdulrahman Dambazzau and National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno amongst others.
Speaking in an interview with State House correspondents on the state of Ife after the Yoruba-Hausa tribal clash last week, the Minister of Interior, Dambazzua said that calm had fully returned, saying that he took a trip to the community to meet with relevant stakeholders.
He said the clash had no trappings of ethnicity or religion but the imprints of hoodlums who constituted themselves into nuisance to disturb the peace of the community.
