Presidency denies Magu’s removal as EFCC boss [updated]

Breaking: Denies Magu’s Removal as Efcc boss

The Presidency has denied that the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, may have finally been removed from office.

The Presidency said Magu was not kicked out of office by President Muhammadu Buhari to make room for a new nominee as claimed.

It could be recalled that the Senate had turned down the request by President Buhari to approve Magu as the substantial chairman of the agency.

The Senate had cited some security report by the Department of State Security [DSS] as basis for its decision.

The Presidency response reads: 

“We are reading reports that the EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Magu has been sacked. 

“No report has been made available to the Presidency by the Attorney General of the federation over the matter. 

“The report of his sack is therefore speculative and preemptive.”

A national newspaper, the Guardian, on Saturday, had reported that President Muhammadu Buhari removed Magu.

“Not true”, spokesman of the commission, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, said in response to an SMS enquiry by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Saturday morning.

The rumour of Magu’s removal has also hit the social media and some traditional media websites in the early hours of Saturday.

Quoting anonymous sources, The Guardian said that Ibrahim Magu, may have finally been removed from office.

It said a source said Magu’s redeployment back to Nigerian Police Force (NPF) was to pave way for a fresh person to be presented by President Muhammadu Buhari as the nominee to head the anti-graft agency before the Senate.

It said it gathered that to make the situation look like a routine exercise, some senior Police officers would be re-deployed by the Police hierarchy to resume as conventional Police officers.

It was equally reliably gathered yesterday that the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has already issued a leter to Magu on the development and directed that he hands over to the Director of Operations in the Commission.

Magu’s nomination was recently rejected by the Senate following allegation of graft levelled against him by the Department of State Security Service (DSS).

The Senate had rejected the nomination of Mr Ibrahim Magu as Substantive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The Chairman of Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Sen. Sabi Abdullahi, disclosed this to journalists in Abuja.

Abdullahi said that the rejection of Magu’s nomination was based on security reports available to the senate.

According to him, President Muhammadu Buhari will be communicated accordingly.

“The Senate wishes to inform the general public that based on security reports available to the senate, it cannot proceed and confirm the nomination of Ibrahim Magu as the Executive Chairman of EFCC.

“Accordingly, the Senate hereby rejects the said nomination and has returned it to Mr President for further action,’’ he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that nomination of other members of the commission sent for confirmation was also not confirmed at plenary.

The committee chairman declined further comments on the screening of the nominees.

The Senate had at the resumption of plenary gone into a two hour executive session with Magu but the meeting ended in a deadlock.

NAN recalls that the Presidency had in July written the Senate, seeking the screening and confirmation of Magu as Substantive Chairman of EFCC.

Buhari appointed Magu Acting Chairman of the commission after the removal of Mr Ibrahim Lamorde on Nov. 9, 2015.

Before his appointment as the acting chairman, Magu was the Head of Economic Governance Unit of the commission.

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