Magu: When investigation of ‘hunted hunter’ becomes a means to itself and other ends

By Bashir Adefaka

“One thing I do not understand is whether Magu is the target or not.  But I can vividly tell you that there is quite a number of people in the politics of ‘change’ that brought President Muhammadu Buhari into office, who only needed Buhari’s integrity and popularity to win power from then Africa’s biggest party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and then would want business as usual.  They are the ones bringing virtual disrepute to the change regime of this administration and I want to believe that those who are investigating Magu saw something and now they are asking him something and he is saying something.”

Barely 48 hours after controversial former Minister of Aviation, Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode, alleged that the suspended acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Mustapha Magu, had always had All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his loyalist and Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, as his godfathers while on duty fighting corruption, fresh revelations are coming out from our findings about ongoing investigations of the ‘hunted hunter’.

Magu was hunted not the type of witch-hunt but hunted to enable authorities obtain clarifications on corruption allegations received against him.

The latest is that, during the recent security search conducted in his residence, some high profile politicians’ files were reportedly found among which is that of corruption allegation against the suspended national chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

The latest development has put political economists to task of brain-cracking, as to doing plus and minus to determine whether or not Magu’s travails were not connected with any discovered betrayal of trust possibly emanating from compromise, wittingly or not, of his work by some APC politicians who, though profess ‘change mantra’ at the surface but, don’t want to be the change that they profess.

The discovery of the files particularly of Oshiomhole, whose personally supervised disqualification of Governor Godwin Obaseki on no justified grounds except to field a candidate undergoing trial for corruption and clear the ground for 2023 ambition of another politician, is already redirecting the minds of critics who had earlier seen the probe of the EFCC boss as attempt by a cabal in the presidency to put President Buhari’s anti-corruption fight in tight corner.

What The DEFENDER really found out from its investigations conducted, upon stumbling on a media report about this new development connecting Oshiomhole, is that there is more to the allegations leading to Magu’s investigations than meet the eye.

A reliable source told The DEFENDER that, “One thing I do not understand is whether Magu is the target or not.  But I can vividly tell you that there is quite a number of people in the politics of ‘change’ that brought President Muhammadu Buhari into office, who only needed Buhari’s integrity and popularity to win power from then Africa’s biggest party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and then would want business as usual.  They are the ones bringing virtual disrepute to the change regime of this administration and I want to believe that those who are investigating Magu saw something and now they are asking him something and he is saying something.”

He continued, “What they wanted to do but which they found impossible later on was to use Buhari as vehicle to ride into power and then frustrate him out of office so that they can now continue with power.  It was and is not as if they have anything different from the old order of corrupt practices that had denied Nigeria and its good citizens the chances of progressing to greater nation as great people.  All of these are the surprises that Nigerians should expect in weeks ahead,” he said.

Because of file’s discovery of the sacked national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, which he already knew about, the report we stumbled over said that he had summoned his legal team for guidance as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), under the new leadership of Mohammed Umar, swoops in on high profile politicians, including Oshiomhole, whose files were found in the home of Ibrahim Magu, the suspended EFCC acting chairman, last week.

The security source, who reportedly spoke on condition of anonymity, said the new EFCC boss, Umar, has commenced preliminary investigation into all the cases contained in the files that were recovered from his predecessor’s house after a search.

Recall that the former EFCC boss was said to have been shielding some persons, especially high profile politicians, from justice with several tactics designed to delay their trial.

Coincidentally, Oshiomhole’s arrest is coming at a time his friend and candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, is entangled in a N700 million money laundering case preferred against him by the EFCC.

The trial has suffered delays due to Ize-Iyamu’s absence in court, even as the presiding judge, Justice Mohammed Garba, had earlier validated the charges against him.

Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu is the first defendant in the suit No. FHC/BE21C/2016 filed by the EFCC, who accused the defendants of conspiring among themselves to commit the offence in March 2015, alleging that they took possession and control of the funds without any contract.

At the last court session, the judge rejected the oral request for a prolonged adjournment of the case by the counsel to Ize-Iyamu, who argued that his client will not disobey the order of the court.

Justice Garba stated that the last time somebody was here, he (the judge) made an order for the accused person to appear in court or face arrest.

Since 2016, Bishop Dr. Osadolor Ochei JP, a human rights activist and anti-corruption crusader based in Benin City, has vigorously pursued the corruption case he initiated via a petition to the EFCC, alleging that Oshiomhole violated relevant sections of the constitution when he acquired a sprawling city of mansions in his home town, Iyamho, worth over N10 billion, while in office, amongst other allegations.

Efforts to reach Oshiomhole to comment on the development proved abortive, as he was said to be meeting with his lawyers for guidance.

Oshiomhole’s associate who wouldn’t want this name mentioned, said “the former APC national chairman is very busy at the moment.  He will not talk to journalists now.  He has even suspended all political engagements for now, including his support for Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu’s campaigns.”

According to an Edo-based political analyst, Mr. Egbon Usoh, “The imminent arrest of Oshiomhole will mark the end of Ize-Iyamu’s ambition to be governor of Edo State.

“Oshiomhole as we all know is the force behind Ize-Iyamu in the ongoing electioneering campaign, though that force has been weakened substantially since his sack as the national chairman of the APC, so Oshiomhole’s arrest should worry the Ize-Iyamu’s camp,” he said.

Earlier, Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode had alleged that the APC leader Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, are godfathers of the suspended Acting Chairman of EFCC, Ibrahim Magu.

Fani-Kayode, who himself is undergoing corruption trial and among suspectedly corrupt politicians of the PDP who believe that anti-corruption of this administration had been against PDP members excluding APC members, in a Tweet on Sunday claimed that Magu never worked for President Muhammadu Buhari while in office but for his two godfathers.

The former minister did not provide any proof of the so-alleged relationship, which made some citizens call for his invitation to help the ongoing investigation of the EFCC boss, who has mentioned Osinbajo and Femi Falana, duo of who are believed to be allies of APC leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and who have both denied collecting any money as mentioned by Magu.

Fani-Kayode said: “What is happening to Magu today was planned years ago. The real target is not Magu but those he worked for and protected for the last 4 years.

“He NEVER worked for Buhari. He worked for Tinubu & Osinbajo. When they finish crushing him, they will move against his two godfathers.”