The suspended acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu, has been released from the custody of the Nigeria Police Force.
Magu’s lawyer, Mr. Oluwatosin Ojaomo, disclosed this in a telephone conversation with Channels Television on Wednesday.
Although Ojaomo did not say much on the issue, he had earlier asked the inspector general of police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu, to release Magu on self-recognition.
Magu was arrested on July 6 and interrogated by retired Justice Ayo Salami panel for alleged corrupt practices.
But in a letter dated July 14, 2020, and addressed to Ojaomo, Adamu said the police force was not investigating and detaining Magu, so it could not grant the bail request.
He advised the lawyer to redirect his request to the chairman of the presidential panel for appropriate attention.
“The inspector general of police directs that your attention be drawn to the fact that the Nigeria Police Force is not investigating CP Ibrahim Magu (your client), and he is accordingly, not being detained by the Police but by the Presidential Panel that is investigating the activities of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
“The inspector general of police, therefore, advises that you reconsider directing your request to the chairman of the presidential panel for appropriate attention,” the letter stated.
Magu was interrogated by the presidential probe panel on corruption allegations based on the memo by the attorney general of the federation and minister of justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami. The allegations bordered on:
*alleged discrepancies in the reconciliation records of the EFCC and the federal ministry of finance on recovered funds *declaration of N539 billion as recovered funds, instead of N504 billion earlier claimed; *insubordination to the office of the attorney general of the federation and minister of justice, *alleged late action on the investigation of P&ID, leading to legal dispute; *not respecting court order to unfreeze a N7 billion judgement in favour of a former executive director of a bank; *not providing enough evidence for the extradition of Diezani Alison-Madueke; *alleged delay in acting on two vessels seized by the Navy; *alleged favouring of some investigators called Magu Boys; *reporting some judges to their presiding officers without deferring to the AGF; *alleged sale of seized assets to cronies, associates and friends; *alleged issuance of investigative activities to the media prejudicial to some cases.
